


The Pokemon Virus: Changed Within

by Raven6229



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Transformation, pokemorph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-09-27 12:12:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 80,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10020293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven6229/pseuds/Raven6229
Summary: An unfinished, untested virus intended to kill all Pokémon destroys the lives of four teenagers. Follow Michael, Hannah, Danny, and Rachael, as they attempt to figure out what caused them to slowly transform into Pokémon, all while trying to avert a "disaster" they know nothing about, and while an enemy they thought they knew seeks further destruction, yet at what personal cost?





	1. Prologue

  _ ****_ _ **Hello, everybody! Welcome to the first story I ever wrote! I wrote this a year ago, but finished it around Christmas, so I will be updating it every Tuesday until it is complete. My writing starts out very mediocre but does get better, rest assured. I hope you enjoy!**_

**Chapter 1- Prologue**

A lone man sat in his clean lab with a wide variety of chemicals surrounding him; fluctuating in sizes and shapes. The room he sat in had an unwelcoming air to it, with dull gray walls and machines, big and small everywhere. Even though he had a state-of-the-art lab, with the newest and best computer model, he seemed to be handwriting a letter. The Internet was too public for the letter he was writing.

_Everything is going as planned. The new and improved healing item for the Pokémon of the world is in development. I have made much progress today; however, I will need to take a few days testing my serum, for it may not function properly. I will be taking it with me to the forest for testing on the local Pokémon. I do not wish to use Pokémon as lab-rats, but I would rather test on a wild Pokémon than a Pokémon a person is attached to, for it would ruin our company._

_I will eagerly let you know when my serum is complete, for it shall revolutionize healing Pokémon. I chose to write this time instead of E-mail because I do not want the hackers that dwell on the Internet to gain knowledge of what I am doing or making. Together, we shall make the world a little better._

_-Clark_

After Clark read the letter, he snickered at all the lies he had fit into this one brief note. "Healing item. What a joke," Clark mumbled quietly, "These monsters should not be healed. They had no right to live in this world!" Clark continued, growing angrier with every word he spoke, "If it weren't for them-" he stopped himself mid-sentence, took a deep breath, and regained his composure.

He would not let his anger get a hold of him. The part of him not wanting to harm another trainer's Pokémon had been true, but mostly out of the fear of being caught by the authorities after he used it. No, he would need to perfect it in the privacy of the nearby forest, where the wild Pokémon would not be missed.

After he sealed the letter in an envelope, Clark grabbed a few of the vials around him; some of them held viscous liquids, others filled with a thin liquid; varying in colors. He took the vials over to a desk that he had on the other side of the room. On the desk sat a lone beaker, filled with a thick liquid, black as night. He poured two or three drops of liquid from each of the chemicals he had with him, careful to make sure he poured the proper amounts from each vial into his concoction.

Satisfied with his handiwork, he recorded what chemicals he put in today in a notebook he had nearby. If there happened to be a flaw, he would know what he has done already, and so he would not need to go back to square one.

This was his form of healing the world. Curing it of the plague that is Pokémon. This serum, this virus would kill any Pokémon that encountered it in a matter of days, ensuring just enough time to pass it to more Pokémon. Just to make sure, he ran the test again to confirm that the liquid would not be lethal to humans. The last thing he needed was to wipe the human race out while wiping out the Pokémon. It tested clear. The virus would die if it were exposed to a human, and based off the chemicals he put in the serum. He deducted that it would give the human no more than a little rash if he got it. Clark was unaware, however, that his deduction was inaccurate.

Clark poured the vial of poison into a syringe and then injected it into a few oran berries. Putting the serum into oran berries would make feeding them to wild Pokémon a lot easier than trying to gas them or other, more tedious techniques. He stuck the berries into a plastic bag, tucking it into his pocket.

He grabbed his keys and walked out the door of his lab, locking the door behind him. He then proceeded to walk down a well-lit hall.

He went through the door at the end of the hallway and looked at his surroundings. He was in the main lobby of his work. He worked at a lab designed for making trainer's lives easier. There were four floors to this large company's building; one dedicated to the science and making of Pokeballs, including making better ones that could be bought by anyone; one dedicated to TMs and HMs; and the floor he worked on, dedicated to making new healing items for Pokémon.

Here, items like revives, max revives, and potions were developed. His boss had given him his own lab to do his work in after he had promised to create a revolutionary new potion that anyone could afford. He created several weaker ones that cost a bit less than the ones already being manufactured, but he insisted he needed his own workspace. After seeing he was capable, his boss complied.

The fourth floor was where his boss worked, managing the company. It was also where the employees would take a break, eat lunch, and idle. The entire place had a very modern feeling, with technology at every turn. From computer upon computer to the giant TV that explained what his company was about and what they did. The building itself looks like functionality was focused on first, then someone tried to make it look decent at best.

The walls were painted a beige color, with the concrete floor being sloppily covered in white carpets. He walked over to a nearby desk where a middle-aged woman was typing on a computer, setting up appointments and taking phone calls.

"Give this to the boss," Clark asked politely, setting the envelope on her desk. She nodded, still on the phone. She may be busy, but she always gets her job done.

Clark walked out the front door and headed to where he parked his car; a black convertible that seated five. The car was kept in the best condition possible, constantly being washed and always looking amazing. That was most of the reason Clark's son, Michael, always asked to use it. Clark had promised his son he could take it out with some friends, which is why his testing of his serum would have to wait.

He loved his son more than he hated Pokémon. His revenge could wait a day. He checked his watch. It was about 5:30 and he promised his son he would be home by six.

He drove in silence, fantasizing about finally ridding the world of those monsters people called Pokémon. He was so caught up in his daydream that he hadn't noticed he was approaching a red light until the last second. He slammed on his breaks, causing him to spring forward, only to be pulled back by the seatbelt.

Clark did not notice as the baggy of berries fell out of his pocket and under the seat from the sudden lurch.

 


	2. Beginnings

Michaels POV

"Hi Dad!" Michael shouted as his Dad pulled into the driveway.

Michael lived in a small neighborhood about twenty miles from the large city, so it always took his dad twenty-five minutes or so to get home from that fancy Pokémon company he worked at.

Michael's home was nothing special; two story with a deck and garage. It looked like the bare minimum you could get on a house, and with plain brownish color of the house, it certainly fit. The driveway meandered up to garage in an indirect path, herded there by the grass. The house was clean, next to spotless in fact, but the windows were fogged and hard to see through, making it difficult to tell if the house was old or new.

Michael and his three other friends approached his dad. His dad was about five foot seven, with brown hair, green eyes, and pale skin. Given he spends most of his time in his lab, brewing healing items for pokémon; he doesn't get out in the sun much. Michael's dad was wearing a pair of black pants, a gray shirt, and a white lab coat.

"Hi son." Michael's dad replied, a big smile on his face.

"Where are you and your friends taking my car exactly?" he inquired.

"We are going to go a pokémon tournament in the city stadium," Michael replied. Never once did the smile leave his dad's face as Michael told him this.

"Okay, have fun! And all of you be careful!" Michael inwardly groaned as his dad said this. His dad was awesome, but overprotective at times. Michael gave his dad a wave as his friends gave their somewhat stilted goodbyes, and they all piled into the car, Michael getting in the driver's seat.

Michael was seventeen, with brown hair like his dad, tanner skin, due to getting more sun time. Though Michael had brown eyes instead of green, which his dad had said they came from his mom.

Michael did not recall his mother for she had died when he was four. She had died from a horrible illness, as his dad had said. Michael himself is willing to take a joke here and there as well as give one out, but he was serious when need be, and made sure to do decent in school. He also made sure to avoid shady areas, for he wouldn't risk going through a place like that with his friends, even if it were quicker; he didn't want his friends to get hurt.

A present from his dad, Michael wore a red hoodie with a green M engraved on the back of it. The hoodie was Michaels absolute favorite thing to wear, given it had been a present from his dad years prior. It still fit fine to this day, due to it being a bit too big when it was received. Michael was also wearing a pair of old, blue jeans, which were worn and torn after years of use.

Danny was sixteen, with blonde hair, overly tanned skin, due to him being outside all the time, riding his skateboard. He has blue eyes and a carefree smirk on his face at almost all times. Needless to say, school was not his top priority; passing at the barest minimum, and never trying to do better. He was cool with anything. He would get a manicure with the girls if they asked him too. However, threaten one of his friends and he practically became a freaking Machamp. Beating the tar out of whoever did the threatening

Danny was wearing a black tee shirt with a Pikachu on the back. He also had a red ball cap on that resembled Charmander's face. But best of all, his jeans had pockets shaped like Pokéballs. Needless to say, he loved Pokémon.

Rachael was seventeen with short, black hair, hazel eyes, and skin more pale than Michael's dad. If Michael had to describe her in one word, it would be nerd. She spent most of her time reading or studying. She made sure she got straight A's. She would kidnap an Eevee to get an A- if she had too. Also, it is a horrible idea to doubt her conclusions when she is trying to solve something. However, she was a good friend and willing to exaggerate her massive ego as a joke.

Rachael was wearing a red shirt with an "R" printed where her heart is, a gray skirt, and some glasses for she was nearsighted. Overall, she looked intelligent. Like the kind of person you don't want to face in a spelling bee.

Last is Hannah. She is sixteen and can easily kick all of our butts if she wanted too. She has long, red hair, gray eyes, and ever so slightly tanned skin. She is extremely docile, so taking her out to prank somebody is a bad idea. We've tried. She always does her best to follow instructions and do well, but when she does mess, up, she exaggerates the severity of her mistakes, making it seem like the apocalypse was coming whenever she broke something. She is cool, but don't go saying the wrong thing to her for you will earn a prompt smack to the face.

Hanna was wearing her favorite shirt: A long-sleeved yellow shirt with the outline of a Pikachu head on it. She had on a pair of blue jeans, as well as a belt overly bedazzled, as she stated it, with sequins. She also had adorned herself in jewelry, such as a necklace, earrings, and several bracelets. No matter what she had on, she had to have some jewelry on with it. She could be wearing pajamas, but would have at least a bracelet on with it.

After driving for several minutes in silence, they began having a friendly argument. "Who do you think will win, Michael?" Hannah asked, "The trainer with the Garchomp, or the trainer with the Weavile?"

"Probably the one with the Weavile," Rachael answered for me, "Statistically speaking, the Garchomp has more brute force, but also a huge disadvantage to ice. While the Weavile is faster and capable of dodging easier." She finished.

"I didn't ask you!" Hannah protested

"You never do," Rachael responded with a smile.

"That's because we know better than to disagree with you." Michael pointed out.

"Yeah, telling you that the Garchomp will win, because it will; it's practically a death wish," Danny gave a slight smirk. "So obviously, those words will never, ever leave my mouth, no matter how true they are." he finished.

"You won't when I'm done with you!" Rachael vowed as she began to repeatedly punch Danny, Hannah and Michael laughing at the horseplay. Michael frowned, for traffic was moving slow. Michael and Hannah mostly entertained themselves by listening in on the ridiculous banter going on between Danny and Rachael. Danny managed to keep Rachael agitated towards him for a solid fifteen minutes, probably trying to kill time, in his own strange way. Rachael and Danny's banter died soon after fifteen-minute mark, Rachael frowning in impatience, Danny repeatedly tapping his fingers on the car door.

"Jeez, I'm hungry… looks like we're gonna be here a while." Danny remarked.

"Let me see if we have any snacks," Michael began feeling around the bottom of the car with one of his hands. "Sometimes, Dad leaves some food that doesn't need to be preserved in the car." Michael continued feeling about, hoping to find something for them to snack on.

"Ah! Here we go! Oran Berries! Oran berries don't need to be preserved, so they're perfect." Michael exclaimed as he pulled up a bag of oran berries from underneath the driver's seat.

"Bleh! Oran berries! Gross! No thank you." Hannah declined.

"You don't like oran berries? Are you even human?" Rachael asked, aghast.

"Says the girl that has a better memory than an Alakazam's." They all shared a chuckle as Michael pulled three berries out of the dozen that were in the bag and gave two to his friends.

Michael bit into the tough skin of the berry; it was more of an apple than anything on the outside. He rolled the berry around in his mouth. It somehow managed to taste spicy, sour, and bitter all at once. The weird thing, however, was the juice. Oran berries aren't supposed to have as much juice as this one apparently had.

"Weird berry. Never tasted an oran berry quite like this one." Rachael commented.

"Yours too?" Danny asked.

"Mine tastes funny too."

"Yeah, oran berries usually never have this much juice and it tastes strange, at that."

"Bleh. Oran berries are Oran berries; they're all disgusting. I don't get why people or Pokémon love them at all." Hannah intervened, shaking her head and wrinkling her nose at the scent wafting from the berries.

"Just to be clear, you don't like oran berries? You haven't made that clear enough yet." Danny deadpanned sarcastically. Now Danny was given the death glare.

"They don't taste bad, just different." Michael clarified.

"Are you sure you don't want one, Hannah? There are still quite a few left." He offered, holding up the bag for her to take one.

"Ah, yeah, no thank you. I'll pass." She replied. At this point, traffic was moving again, and they were only a few minutes away from the stadium.

They arrived at the stadium, where after getting their tickets checked and grabbing a brochure on the competitors, they then went to the concessions stand. Michael got his favorite rawst berry smoothie, Rachael got a pecha berry shake, Hannah got some razz juice, and Danny got about fifteen oran berries.

"Hey Danny, got enough berries there?" Michael asked sarcastically.

"No, I will probably have to get more once the tournament starts." He replied with a deadpan expression. The other three gawked at him. They found their seats just as the tournament was starting. It wasn't a huge tournament, with only about eight competitors, but it was a blast either way. Michael and his friends cheered for their favorite trainers, but Rachael was the only one who desperately wanted her favorites to win. When the finals came around, as anticipated, it was the trainer with a Garchomp and the trainer with a Weavile remaining.

"The Garchomp is gonna win." Danny said with a sly smile. Michael chuckled. He knew Danny didn't really care who won. He was just teasing Rachael.

"Take that back!" Rachael demanded, giving Danny the death glare. "I know the Weavile will win! She has the obvious type advantage!"

"What makes you think it's not a dude?"

"Seriously Danny? Read the freaking brochure!"

"Hey, I'm not a book nerd like you!"

"Hey, it's starting!" Hannah exclaimed. They all watched the stadium, where the Garchomp and Weavile started going at each other, obeying the commands of their trainers.

Garchomp started by attacking with a dragon claw, slashing a glowing fin like someone would throw an uppercut, which the Weavile effortlessly dodged by jumping backwards, being she was considerably quicker than the Garchomp. The Weavile circled around the Garchomp, and spewed out an icy wind om her mouth, turning Garchomp's back fin a couple shades lighter from the sheer amount of frost. Garchomp was flung forward, where he then took advantage of the situation to use dig. Anticipating what was about to transpire, Weavile started to run around randomly to avoid getting hit by the burrowing Garchomp. Emerging from underground, the dragon began channeling a golden sphere of energy in his mouth, and with a roar of defiance, he shot that golden sphere straight into the sky. The golden sphere, after hitting maximum height, split into dozens of smaller spheres, which then began to fall as the dreaded draco meteor. After letting his devastating attack loose, Garchomp returned underground. The Weavile, despite her best efforts, Weavile was hit square on with one of the falling rocks as she ran around sporadically. She was knocked promptly to the ground. She struggled back up, and prepared to block Garchomp's next attack. The Garchomp came up from the ground, and used double team. About fifteen Garchomps surrounded the Weavile.

"That Weavile is in trouble." Hannah remarked.

"No kidding." Michael replied. Just then, the surrounded pokémon let out a high-pitch cry as a gray cloud appeared over the arena, not including where the trainers were standing, as huge chunks of ice began to fall from the sky. The hail pelted all the Garchomps, removing the fakes, leaving only one left. Now with the advantage, a powerful blizzard spewed from the cupped hands of the Weavile, the hail only making it more powerful. The super powered attack slammed into the Garchomp, sending him flying it to the other side of the arena. The Garchomp struggled up, as he let out a battle cry that echoed across the arena. A tornado of sand spiraled viciously spiraled around the land shark, blowing away any hail that tried to get near him. At her trainer's command, the Weavile dashed headstrong into the sandstorm, where the Weavile was no longer in sight.

The effects of both the weather attacks faded, as the Weavile was looking around, without a Garchomp to be seen. She frantically looked around, but realized what was coming too late, as the Garchomp shot out from the ground behind the Weavile, where while in midair, began to glow burgundy as black and red lightning sizzled around him. Dragon dance. Garchomp, now much faster and stronger, dove headfirst with in a diver position towards the Weavile. His outstretched fin then began to glow a bright white and extend considerably as he hit the Weavile right as she turned his way with a dragon claw to the chest. The Weavile, now with a huge scratch across her chest, tried to struggle back up as Garchomp hit her repeatedly with dragon claw. The Weavile tried to get back up one more time, but couldn't, and fainted.

"Weavile is unable to battle! Garchomp is the winner!" the referee shouted as the crowd broke out in cheers. Well, everybody except Rachael. She looked like someone just drowned her Dedenne.

"I told you Garchomp would win!" Danny said to Rachael. He made sure to stress that he was right, and Rachael was wrong.

"I-I… how did she lose?" Rachael asked, dumbfounded.

"Probably because of that speed and power boost at the end, oh, and Garchomp's trainer obviously used more strategy than the Weavile's." Hanna remarked as they got up and began to exit the stadium. The tournament was over, so no point in staying. They all piled into the car, Rachael looking like she was in utter shock. That is how big Rachael's ego is. If she takes a blow to it, she takes it hard.

"That was an awesome tournament. All those Pokémon were insanely powerful." Hannah remarked.

"Yeah. It's a good thing Pokémon are resilient. A human would be cut in two by a dragon claw like that." Michael replied.

"I-I-Lost…" Rachael stuttered, still befuddled. Danny chuckled.

"Come on, Rachael, I'm sure you'll kick my butt next time." He said, cheering her up a bit.

"True… you may have won this time, but none can stand up to the great Rachael and win twice!" She declared overdramatically. Everyone shared a laugh.

That was when Michael felt it; a weird tingling sensation in the back of his skull that somehow made him feel four times as happy. 'What was that?' he wondered. He dismissed it as being tired, as it was getting late. He was probably just delusional.

One-by-one, Michael dropped his friends off at their respective homes and returned to his own. He entered his home in a drowsy daze. His dad was already asleep, so he just went upstairs and immediately passed out on his bed.


	3. Changing

Danny's POV

Danny woke up early today, which was around twelve o' clock. He was never the early-bird type. Danny stretched, slipped on some blue jeans and a Pikachu shirt, and stumbled downstairs like a Spinda running a race, still half-asleep. Well, half-asleep until he smelled the heavenly scent of pancakes wafting from his kitchen. With his mind focused on getting some of that Heaven in a pan, he went to go sit at his kitchen table.

"Good morning, sweetie!" his mom greeted, with a slight tone of shock evident in her voice. "Your never up this early! Did you make plans with Michael?"

"Yup. We're gonna play our pokémon handhelds. At his house." Danny explained. "It really sucks the age to train pokémon was moved all the way up to eighteen…"

"I know you don't like it, sweetie, but the law is the law. You know they don't want more irresponsible teens getting their pokémon killed." She replied. Danny remembered that news report. About eight years ago, a bunch of irresponsible teenagers battled needlessly powerful trainers with their own pathetically weak Pokémon, as well as a lot of abuse coming from that age group towards Pokémon. Idiots. It was a common issue, to the point of the authorities stepping in. anyone who already had a trainer's license could keep it, but until you were eighteen, no new trainer licenses were issued. However, having a pokémon, as a pet exclusively, was not illegal, in fact, you can often see children running or playing with Pokémon in their yards or places like that. Danny's parents did not own a Pokémon though, so he had to wait to have one of those life-long companions.

"Well, before you go, how many pancakes would you like?" his mom asked.

"I'll take five. And be sure to drown them in syrup." He responded.

"Goodness… you and your father eat so much… he is still asleep, thankfully, so I won't have to be making pancakes until dinner." His mom commented. She was used to making pancakes at noon, with their messed-up sleep schedules on weekends.

Fifteen minutes of bliss and syrup later, Danny grabbed his game, checked his pokémon roster to make sure it was how he wanted, and he departed for his friend's house. In his driveway sat his boring black car. His vehicle had four doors, though nothing special whatsoever on it other than that. Most people his age would want the fanciest car possible. He wanted that two hundred dollar, limited edition pokémon card he saw on the Internet.

After a brief five-minute drive through the suburbs, he pulled into his friend's driveway, where he then walked up to Michael's door and rang the doorbell with a smug grin on his face. Michael opened the door to allow Danny in, surprise evident on his face.

"Wow Danny. You were only fifteen minutes late today! I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so!" he genuinely complemented.

"Well I've been looking forward to kicking your butt with my new roster of pokémon."

"Oh yeah, sure. Good luck with that." Michael taunted as Danny stepped into his home.

"Your dad at work?" Danny asked, glancing around the Michael's living room. It was a simple room. Brown walls, a medium sized television mounted on the wall, a gray couch that could fit up to four, and two windows with green curtains. It was plain, but tidy. Danny wasn't the only one who didn't care about ascetics.

"Yeah, he is. Arceus knows when he'll be back. Anyway, best out of three? Double battle, no team changes." Michael requested.

"Loser does a forfeit?"

"You're on!"

LINE BREAK

"How did you beat me twice in a row?" Michael asked, dumbfounded. "You used a Dunsparce, Shuckle, Shedinja, Zoroark, Sabeleye, and a freaking Ditto! None of those are very powerful!"

"Well, we were doing a double battle, so I used Zoroark to draw your attacks to him while I set up Dunsparce as a paraflincher. After I defeated your only fairy type, I sent in Sabeleye and Shedinja. Where a skill swap made my mega invincible. When Dunsparce was down, a power swapping Shuckle and a hidden ability Ditto were viable distractions while my Sabeleye took your remaining pokémon down." Michael blinked several times in surprise at Danny's intricate strategy.

"Since when have you played mind games?" Michael asked incredulously. Danny gave a mischievous chuckle. To which Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Well it wasn't hard to trick you when you had a team entirely comprised of sweepers." Danny retorted. "You obviously had your pokémon equipped with power-based moves. I'm surprised, really. You always have at least one or two strategically viable pokémon."

"Eh… I dunno… I just wanted a power-based team, I guess… Not really sure as to why." He replied.

"Whatever… I won though! You know what that means." Danny declared mischievously.

"Ugh… yeah… you did… do you want me to make you another sandwich?" Michael glumly asked.

"Two. Extra everything."

"Jeez, its amazing how much you eat. I'm surprised you're not fat as a Snorlax."

"Hey, I don't just eat, sleep, and move slow, I'll have you know." Danny replied, once again giving that peculiar laugh.

"Yeah, when crisis, or in your case, a battle, comes around, your raring to go. Where have I heard that before?" Michael teased.

"Go make my freaking sandwiches!"

Michael laughed, and turned around to walk to his kitchen, when Danny noticed he was walking there on the balls of his feet

"Why are you walking like that?" he asked, mildly confused. Michael turned around and shrugged.

"It just feels right. Since when do you laugh like the Happy Masks Salesman?" he retorted.

"…Touché, must be one of those weird habits I see in a video game… I saw this one person in a game put her thumb to her mouth when deep in thought one time, and I was doing that for weeks after."

The rest of the time spent at Michael's was for the most part uneventful, Danny ate two sandwiches, and Michael and Danny played their pokémon handhelds for a few more hours, do things from training their wide roster of pokémon, to adding more pokémon to said roster, as well as hunting for some shiny pokémon, the rarest and most coveted of pokémon, which are pokémon with different coloration, though they had nothing else special about them.

While they were hunting said shinies, Michael sighed. "I wish shiny pokémon could actually do something special. My shiny Eevee has been doing nothing but looking cute and being pretty."

"Yeah, I get what your saying. I wish they had some sort of special use to make them more useful, because nobody is going to use that shiny luvdisc they spent six hours hunting." Danny replied, with a hint of wry humor in voice. Michael let out a chuckle.

"I'm sensing some resentment towards 'Goldie'," Michael stated in amusement. "It would have been easier to simply do the chain fishing method I taught you. I got a shiny Magikarp in half an hour."

"I didn't want the Luvdisc! But that's what I ended up encountering! I named it Goldie because I was tired and couldn't think of anything better!" Danny whined indignantly. "The stupid thing didn't have any full IVs, it had a horrible move set, and nobody wants it in the GTS! It's been in there for weeks! And its not like I was asking for a Darkrai! All I was asking for was a Bulbasaur, since neither of us can get one. Totally worthless shiny! Six hours of my li-" Michael cut him off.

"Ok, I get it. I can sense a lot of resentment towards that Luvdisc, it's practically tangible."

"Wait, wait what?" Danny asked, confused.

"Well your not really good at hiding your emotions." Michael replied with a shrug.

"Uh, I suppose that's fair enough." Danny replied, slightly surprised. "Let's just do a few more battles, then I'm gonna go. I don't want to miss dinner," Danny requested to which Michael rolled his eyes at.

"I swear, the only things it seems you ever think about are Pokémon, the occasional skateboarding, food, and bugging Rachael."

"... You know me too well… let's battle already! Say… four more matches? Should take about an hour."

Michael replied with a knowing eye roll and a "You're on!" Two hours later, Michael groaned and rubbed his temples. "Ugh… might need to unplug for a bit… "

"What does that mean? Never heard of it before." Danny replied with humor, but also concern in his voice.

"Oh ha ha. I know your mom tells you that at least nine times a week, and I've seen you outside riding your skateboard at least fifteen times! But when I look at you, I see colors swirl around. It's weird. Plus, I have a massive headache…" Michael responded.

"Well what do you think I'm doing? Flashing a spotlight on myself?"

"Oh don't give me that garbage. Its obvious you're trying to hide pain, likely a headache." Danny gaped at Michael's statement.

"Ok. I suppose I might not be the subtlest when it comes to emotions, but I was hiding that headache, and I know I was hiding it well! I never gave any indications of pain, so how did you know that?" Danny asked in bewilderment.

"I could tell you were distressed about something, and I got the feeling it wasn't because you beat me in a battle… again." Michael responded, his voice growing annoyed at the mention of losing to Danny.

"Whoa man, ok, first, how could you possibly tell I had a headache? Second, since when do you get so riled up about losing? You never were this competitive before!" Danny replied, confused.

"Well… I… Uh…" Michael stammered. "I… don't know. I just know you were distressed about something, and that I want to win. Badly."

"Um, ok… that's kind of weird… well... uh… I can think of no response to that. I think I might go home now, because, as you somehow guessed, I do have a headache, plus, I'm hungry." Danny replied, finally letting the suppressed pain and fatigue he had been hiding get to him."

"Ok… hope your headache goes away," Michael politely replied, while massaging the back of his head.

"I should say the same to you, man. Thanks for having me. "

"No problem, now go home before you starve." Michael humorously commanded.

Danny exited Michael's house, trying to push his headache to the back of his head, and instead focused on his surroundings as he got in his car and drove through his neighborhood.

It was about six in the evening and the sun was starting to set, bathing the suburbs he lived in in a golden glow. He passed by simple houses, most of them only one story high, but with large yards in front, some with trees, swings, or benches for the many children in the neighborhood to entertain themselves, while parents could watch within the porches that every house had.

Looking around, Danny noticed a small boy and girl, both seeming to be about eight, running around playing with a Furfrou in their expansive yard. The white, mangy dog was running around in a game of chase, barking gleefully, as the children chased it, squealing in raw delight, while their mom watched from the porch, with a contented smile on her face.

Danny felt a pang of envy towards those kids, who were lucky enough to have parents who owned a pokémon, whereas his parents didn't want the responsibility, and his mom didn't want another mouth to feed. However, the sight of the joyful children and pokémon was enough to atone for that envy. His mood was not at its best, however, due the incessant pounding in the back of his skull that hadn't subsided since he started shiny hunting at about four-thirty with Michael, which was unusual, because his headaches never lasted that long.

Danny let out an inaudible groan as he pulled into his driveway, again choosing to focus on his surroundings to try and not think about his stupid headache. His house was one of the few two-story houses in the neighborhood. It was a red brick house, with a black roof, a two-car garage on the side of the house with a sidewalk leading from the driveway to the door. The door was on a porch elevated by two steps, with roofing over it to provide shade for the two wooden chairs that decorated it. The porch watched over his yard, which had a large tree with a tree house in it from his youth, complete with a rope ladder to get up to it, and a tire-swing hanging from one of the stray branches.

Danny opened his door, and stepped into his living room. He collapsed on his cream-colored couch, and stared ahead at his brick fireplace, with a TV mounted over it, as he waited for his mom to notice he was home, which took a whopping thirty seconds.

"Hello sweetie. Did you have fun at Michael's house?" his mom asked.

"Uh huh…" Danny groaned, his headache quickly worsening.

"What's wrong sweetie?"

"Headache, hungry…" Danny muttered in reply. His mom nodded and turned around quickly to go and get some painkillers from the kitchen, as well as some food.

"Here you go, sweetie." His mom sweetly said as she set down a plate with three slices of pizza and a painkiller capsule. Danny closed his eyes due to pain, but had no intention on ignoring the food in front of him. Better yet, his mom walked in, carrying his all time favorite drinks, oran berry juice in her hand. She set it down and walked away, when Danny noticed he still had his eyes closed, though he still was able to tell it was his favorite drink. He could recognize the smell of oran berries from a mile away.

Danny opened his eyes, and smelled the heavenly aroma of his pizza, still steaming as it awaited its fate. His headache forgotten as he devoured his food, and drank his drink, which have never been more delicious. As soon as he was done, however, his headache worsened, it seeming to grow worse very minute.

After he ate two more slices of pizza, his headache got so bad that he had to go to bed to escape the pain. The painkillers weren't helping at all. He stumbled upstairs, feeling like a Psyduck that tried to head-butt a Metagross, which never ends well for the Psyduck. He stumbled into his room, unable to think properly. It felt like someone was hammering his head repeatedly, each heartbeat causing a fresh stab of pain. He reached his bed, and barely had enough time to get under the covers before he passed out from the agony.

Danny awoke from his fitful sleep filled with vivid dreams, though in his groggy state of mind he was unable to recall what they were. He looked up through squinted eyes to see the blurry visage of his dad standing over him.

"Hey son. Heard you weren't feeling well. Are you feeling better today?" Danny just let out an inaudible grunt in response. "Do you want me to grab you a sandwich?" his dad asked, to figure out whether Danny was just being Danny or if he was really feeling unwell.

"Later…" Danny muttered which let his dad know he was really feeling unwell, because Danny simply didn't turn down food.

"Okay. I'll let your school know, maybe take a shower later. It could help. Maybe think about shaving while you're in there. You look like you haven't shaved in a week." His dad finished with a wink, as he left Danny's room, closing the door behind him. Danny pondered what he meant, but disregarded it as he tried to recall his dreams. Now that he was slightly more awake, he was able to remember a few things: walking through a forest, a flash of black and red, as well as a lot of pain, but that was all he could recall.

Frustrated at both his lack of memory and the throbbing pain in his head, he made his way to his bathroom. It had a white tiled wall, a large shower, and a simple sink with a mirror over it. He froze. Surely he must be going crazy? It wouldn't be the first time. He thought back to what his dad had said about shaving.

His face and neck were covered in short, grey hairs.

Trying to remain calm, he undressed and looked at himself in the mirror. He was completely covered in grey hairs. He knew he was supposed to have more hair at this point in his life, but _dang!_ Not this much! And they weren't supposed to be grey. Attempting to quell the rising panic inside him, he turned on the shower, locked the door, and grabbed two cans of shaving cream.

An hour later, Danny stepped out of the shower, freshly shaved, as he proceeded to put on a spare pair of clothes he always kept in the bathroom, due to his extreme forgetfulness. Simple jeans and a red T-shirt, that may or may not have a Charmander face on it. His persistent headache flared once again, and he stumbled, using the sink for balance. He stared in horror at the mirror. Hairs were growing back right in front of him.

Danny was officially freaking out right now. He ran to his room, locked his door, and got in his bed to take a nap. He was probably just delusional. He slept for about an extra hour, but woke up to no avail. The hairs were still growing, his headache not going away. He grabbed his cell phone to distract himself. He noticed he had some missed text from Michael.

_Michael: Headache never went away. Still seeing colors. Didn't go to school. Going nuts for multiple reasons._

Danny was about to reply when he heard a soft knock on his door.

"Sweetie? How are you?" His mom quietly asked from the other side of the door.

"I'm fi-" he was interrupted with a fit of coughing.

"Are you losing your voice?" his mom worriedly asked.

"Yeah…" Danny muttered in a scratchy voice.

"Would you like me to get you some medicine? I can go pick some up." Danny's eyes widened. He didn't want his mom to see him in his current state.

"No its… fine," Danny quickly replied. "I'll go pick some up myself later… I'm tough enough."

"Alright sweetie… I'll be downstairs working in the office if you need me." His mom was a web page designer, so she spent quite a bit of time working. Danny breathed a sigh of relief. He grabbed his phone and texted Michael.

_Danny: You ok? Is your dad still on business?_ Michael's response was almost immediate.

_Michael: Yeah. Stuck at home, going nutters._

_Danny: Ditto._

_Michael: What you want to trade now?_

_Danny: Oh Har dee har._

_Michael: Hehe. In all seriousness, in what way are you going crazy? Are you losing your voice, got a headache, and going delusional?_ Danny gaped

_Danny: What? How… did you know?_

_Michael: I've been texting with Rachael. She is… freaking out, same… sickness as you and me. She went to school though. From what I heard her day really sucked. Hannah seems to be just fine though._

_Danny: Uh… I doubt it. I'm going a whole new level of nuts._

_Michael: Stop beating around the bush. What is up?_ Danny internally gulped; nervous at what is friend would say.

_Danny: I keep imagining that I'm growing fur._ Michael's response was immediate.

_Michael: Danny, Get over here_ **_now_ ** _. Don't let anyone see you, wear a hoodie, tell your mom you are picking me up medicine and helping me out._ **_NOW_ ** _._

_Danny: Okay. Be right there._ Danny was officially freaking out. He didn't dwell on it as he quickly put on a black hoodie with a Pokéball on the back. He pulled the hood over his head, as he opened the door of his room and stepped into his hallway, and down the stairs.

"Danny?" his mom asked, hearing him make his way down the wooden staircase. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm… fine" Danny lied in between rough coughs, when his headache flared up again. He suppressed a groan of pain. "Michael… is down too, so I'm gonna… go hang out there. Bring …him some meds. Help him… out. His dad is still… on business." He said, hiding any pain he felt, though the cough and rough voice were impossible to hide.

"Okay sweetie. Come home if you need to. Michael is welcome to come too if he wishes." His mom said, reluctant at the idea at letting his son leave while sick. Danny grunted in affirmation, and stumbled out the door, gritting his teeth, when he felt a stab of pain in his mouth.

He gasped, and felt his teeth with his tongue. He let out another gasp, this time in shock. His two canine teeth were sharp! They were very sharp, and longer than his other teeth, pointed like fangs! Nearing panic, he stumbled into his car, and quickly drove to Michael's house, not even trying to force back his headache, each heartbeat sending more stabs of pain throughout him.

Danny pulled into Michael's driveway, trepidation blossoming in his heart and mind. Before he could even knock on the door, Michael opened it, donning his favorite hoodie, bathed in shadows like a cliché villain from every movie ever made.

Danny followed Michael to his living room, where Rachael was waiting, on the very edge of the couch, also wearing a hoodie. She was slumped back, as if she was trying to not be noticed.

Danny and Michael sat down, and sat there for an awkward thirty seconds, before Michael said, between coughs, "You guys… can probably guess… why you are here."

"Aw man… that's… never good...when people... say that… and your voice… is nearly as bad… as mine." Danny replied, with a weak chuckle. Rachael still hadn't said anything.

"Well… since you guys… won't be the first ones to…" Michael started, as he began to take his hoodie off, as I gasped and Rachael gaped at his appearance.

His once brown hair was now dull blue, similar to the color of overused jeans, his face, previously shadowed due to the hoodie shadowing it, had a horizontal black stripe going across it, surrounding his eyes like a mask, reaching down to cover his nose. His arms and neck were now covered in blue fur, the same color as his hair. Michael suddenly found his shoes way more interesting to look at than Danny or Rachael.

Danny groaned. "So I… wasn't just going crazy…" He sighed, and took off his hoodie, Michael and Rachael both taking in his appearance, Michael and Rachael both gaping. "Like… my new look?" He said, at an attempt at lightheartedness, which he quickly gave up on. "Rachael, you still… haven't said anything, plus, why don't you… have your glasses?" Danny said, noting for the first time that Rachael was indeed without them.

Rachael slumped, pulled out here phone, typed something for a minute or so, and said "I just **chirp** texted **chirp** texted Hannah." She said, looking down, tears welling up in her eyes. Michael looked mortified while Danny had to bite his lip to keep from laughing, which worked, given his new fang. Rachael then gave some sort of long chirp that could qualify as a sigh, as she took her hoodie off as well.

Both Danny and Michael gasped in absolute horror, as Rachael now had large, grey feathers littering her hair, as well as smaller ones covering her exposed arms. She also had little feathers among her neck, and her short back hair had now paled slightly into more of a grey color. As they were gaping, Danny's headache flared again, as he groaned in pain. The pain took a couple minutes to recede to a dull throb, when Danny leaned back, breathing heavily. Rachael gasped.

"Danny! Your **chirp** hair is red at **chirp** at the top!" Danny pulled his phone out and switched on his camera. Indeed, the top of his shaggy blonde hair was red, the hair below the red turning black. He also noticed the grey furs around his neck were considerably longer.

"So every… time… a headache… comes… something weird… happens…" His voice was now much rougher and he was coughing more often. Michael let out a gasp of horror, his face paling three shades.

"Can't you guys… see what's… happening?" Michael asked, horrified. He was even more horrified than Rachael when she fails a math test. It took about five seconds, but both of them gasped, almost simultaneously, horrible understanding flooding the two, as Michael grimly nodded.

"No… you don't **chirp** mean…" Rachael started, looking seriously terrified at this point.

"I… do." Michael started, cringing. "We're turning into pokémon!"

Crickets sing their farewells to the setting sun.


	4. Panic

Chapter 4: Panic

No! Dear Arceus no! It simply made no logical sense! Michael's last words echoed around in her mind. "We're turning into pokémon!" Rachael felt the world spiraling around her.

"W-what?" Rachael gasped, desperately hoping she heard incorrectly; however, it would explain the strange phenomenon that has been going on for the past two days. The logical side of her brain couldn't ignore that truth. The past few days had been… lackluster, to say the least.

"I… no…  **chirp** , what!" Rachael stuttered, her head reeling in shock. "What do you  **chirp**  mean 'turning into pokémon?' "

"I- I mean exactly what I  **cough**  said…" Michael muttered dully, as reality started to hit him. "How else do you explain… that?" Michael gestured to Danny, who was remaining uncharacteristically quiet and pensive.

Danny shrugged. "I guess  **cough**  so…"

"What! How can you be so calm about this! If this keeps going on, what will happen? We can't very well go back  **chirp**  to school! Today was bad enough as is!" Rachael was yelling at this point, Michael and Danny were not intervening while she let her emotions out. "I mean, I can't go to  **chirp**  college as a pokémon! And what about my parents! What about  **your**  parents!" Michael and Danny visibly flinched at this, not liking the thought of their parents reacting to this news.

"What do you suppose  **chirp**  we do? I've spent half my life in books, but never have anything like this been known to happen like this! In even all the transformation fiction stories I've read, not once has it  **chirp**  been a gradual change! It's not like we can go to the doctor's office for this!" Rachael was crying at this point, as tears streamed down her face, her voice becoming more and more desperate. All at once, any fight left within Rachael drained away, as she curled up and let her tears freely flow.

Rachael cried for the next few minutes, Danny and Michael allowing her to do so. They could offer her no comfort. Rachael's crying was interrupted by Hannah who burst through the door in a panic.

"I heard someone crying! Is everyone… okay…" She trailed off as she looked around at her friends. She donned a calm face. "What is going on?" she deadpanned.

"Well…  **cough**  Rachael just went nuclear after Michael told her  **cough**  that we are turning into pokémon." Danny answered in an equal level of deadpan. Rachael could see Hannah fighting to maintain her calm. Her reply was not the reply any of them expected.

"Okay… so I know this is bad and all, but I have to say… That is kinda cool."

Michael raised his eyebrows, skeptically, as Hannah continued. "I mean, sure there are… um… bad things about this, but I mean, c'mon! Pokémon! I'm almost jealous! So, what pokémon are you turning into?" She asked a bit too eagerly. All three of their eyes widened. That had not crossed their minds.

"Well…  **cough**  this… uh… fur is dark grey, and  **cough**  the top of my hair is turning red, so the only  **cough**  pokémon I can think of that fits that is… Zorua. Maybe  **cough**  Zorua?"

"That would  **cough**  explain your  **cough**  more… trickster style strategies yesterday, perhaps." Michael added, causing Danny to smile broadly, much to Rachael's bewilderment.

"Well, this grey mask-like fur on my face as well as the blue fur on my arms is similar to  **cough**  that of a… Riolu!" Michael looked as if he had just discovered the cure to mortality. "That explains everything! The weird way I've found myself walking, and the swirling colors too! That was  **cough**  the emotions Riolu can sense! When Danny smiled just  **cough**  then, I could see some green start swirling along with the… blue." Michael slowed down, looking at him. Danny shrugged.

"So you see emotions  **chirp**  as colors or something  **chirp**  of that nature?" Rachael inquired, interested.

Michael nodded. "Not only that. I can see the colors, but also… feel  **cough**  the emotions in a sense. It is hard to  **cough**  explain. It's like feeling them without feeling them myself… if that makes any sense."

"So!" Hannah interrupted, "What pokémon are you becoming Rachael!" Michael face-palmed; Danny rolled his eyes.

Rachael felt the panic welling up back inside her as the reality of the situation started to weigh down upon her further. She felt herself start to tremble. Slowly, she put her hand behind her head, closed her eyes, and took some deep breaths. Hannah's eyes widened as she mouthed "sorry" to Danny and Michael. Michael shook his head dismissively; Danny looked at Rachael calmly. He then donned a mischievous grin.

"Yeah,  _Birdbrain_ , what Pokémon are you becoming?"

Rachael froze, raised her head slowly, as Michael and Hannah's eyes widened.

Michael jumped up. "I… uh… have to…  **cough**  get some cough medicine from  **cough**  the kitchen! Hannah, will you help me look?" Michael was frantic.

Hannah instantly nodded. "Sure! You probably won't with… uh… your eyes messing up! Let's go!" The two hurried out of the room.

"What did you call me?" Rachael asked slowly, deliberately, as she gave Danny an icy glare.

"Ooh! Honing your ability already, eh? Intimidate, right?" Danny pressed on.

"So, that doesn't answer my question,  _Birdbrain_. What Pokémon are you becoming?"

Rachael and Danny help each other's stares. Rachael's a rage-filled glare, Danny's, a deadpan stare. Until, at the same time, their façades faded as they both burst out laughing.

"Seriously, Danny? Birdbrain was the  **chirp**  best you could come up with? I'd at least give you  **chirp**  something clever, like Kitsune Boy or something!" Rachael exclaimed intermittently, between fits of laughter and chirps.

"Oh c'mon! Can't it at least be  **cough**  Kitsune Man?" Danny pleaded, with a broad smile on his face.

"You  **chirp**  wish! That makes you sound like nineties' comic book superhero!" The two friends burst out laughing again, until Rachael started calming down. Danny quickly stopped laughing as well.

"Seriously, though, Danny. What are we  **chirp**  going to do?" Rachael managed to maintain her composure this time. "I mean, it's barely started, by  **chirp** the looks of it, and these past  **chirp**  few days were awful enough as-is.

"What happened?" Danny casually asked. Rachael felt herself being brought back to yesterday, as she began to recount the events of the past two days.

Yesterday had started the same as most other weekends: with reading. After getting up at about seven in the morning, Rachael went downstairs and prepared and ate some razz berry pancakes and pecha berry juice to wash it down. It had tasted far better than it had ever tasted before, despite her doing nothing more to prepare it.

After she had eaten her meal, she went up to her room and sat by her large window, the golden sunrise bathing her bookshelf on the opposite end of the wall in a beautiful glow. She picked up a blue, hardback book on the origin of the universe, and read it for the next few hours; tales of epic battles and adventures raged through her mind.

Rachael read for hours, only stopping when her phone buzzed at approximately two thirty. She had gotten a text from Hannah.

_Hannah: Hey Rachael. What are you up to? Wait. Dumb question. Don't answer that._

_Rachael: Indeed, you know me well. Anyway, what is it you want?_

_Hannah: Do you want to go see if any new books are in the library? I have a few books to return, and I figured you might want to come._

_Rachael: Sure. I have a few books to return, and I want to check a few more out. Plus, I have a paper for school due in a couple of weeks, so I need to check a few books out._

_Hannah: Yeah, okay. Well I'll come pick you up if you want._

_Rachael: Sure. Sounds fun._

_Hannah: Of course it does. I'll be there in ten minutes._

Rachael smiled, and went to her bookshelf. It was a simple brown bookshelf, but it was one of her prized possessions. She had books on Pokémon training, stats, EVs, and IVs, but she also had stories about pokémon. A few non-pokémon books were scattered in there too. All of the books were worn from overuse, except the seven books on the bottom of the shelf, checked out from the library.

Rachael grabbed a book bag, carefully placing the library books and a folder with stationary in it. Just in case, Rachael also grabbed her book from earlier and shoved it in. It was easily her most read book, as well as her favorite. Rachael read the book as she walked down her stairs. Her parents were at work and wouldn't be home for a while, so she made a mental note to lock the door on her way out, and to write a brief note explaining her whereabouts, in case she was gone long.

Her parents, though not home very often, worked incredibly hard, sometimes staying up all night. Rachael hated when they did that. She could handle them being away for a while, but she hated when they stayed up all night. She looked around at her nice interior.

Her kitchen, which was in front of her front door, had cherry cabinets, granite counters, and stainless steel appliances. She knew working was the only reason they could afford this house, but-

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Rachael sighed, grabbed her bag, and greeted Hannah at the door. Her childhood friend standing there in a pair of jeans, with a very nice red shirt, and many bracelets and necklaces adorning her arms and neck. It was slightly overdone, but Rachael has long since grown accustomed to it.

"Heya Rachael!" Hannah said in her cheery voice. "Ready to go?"

"Sure." Rachael answered simply. The two got into Hannah's small, white car. While they were driving Hannah started chatting on about some of the drama at school. Rachael mentally rolled her eyes at this. She did not see the point in staying on top of everything love related at school when you could read a good book instead. Sure, she had her crushes every now and again, but she kept that to herself and never let it dictate her actions and change her behavior.

Hannah was incredibly extroverted, trying to get along and befriend just about anyone at school. Rachael was the opposite, incredibly introverted, preferring a smaller social group, so she chose to stick with her three closest friends most of the time. Whenever they all sat at the same table during their lunch period, they often got some strange looks, but they had all learned to ignore it. Usually tables consisted of a single gender.

Hannah pulled up to the simple brick building that was their library. It was two stories high, had several windows and a ceiling comprised of several glass panels for natural light. It looked fairly small, but it felt much larger once you were inside. As they walked around inside, Rachael gazed at the seemingly endless supply of books on the many shelves, which were an extremely dark brown that accentuated the brightly colored spines of the books.

"Meet you over there." Hannah pointed to a wooden table and a few chairs by a window. Rachael nodded and went to return her books. After returning her books, and checking out the books needed for her paper on the pokémon attacks, communication, as well as EV's and IV's. Rachael opened her book and started to read the information on her paper.

Rachael rubbed her head and looked up from her paper, now filled with notes on various topics. Her eyes drifted over to a clock, where, to her astonishment, read three o' clock. She groaned. Hannah looked up from the book she had been reading for the past while.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her unusually loud voice startling Rachael. That was when Rachael let out a squealing noise, or something akin to that, from surprise. She covered her mouth; sure her face was likely turning twenty shades of red. The people sitting in the nearby seats shot Rachael dirty glares. She averted her eyes to her paper, then to Hannah, who was looking at Rachael with a mixture of worry and amusement. Rachael pushed her glasses farther up my nose and looked at her nonchalantly.

"Shall we depart?" Rachael stiltedly asked. Hannah got the indication that she wanted to leave well enough, and without a word, packed her books into her bag while Rachael did the same. They silently left the library, and got into Hannah's car.

"What was that all about?" Hannah asked. Thank Arceus she wasn't Danny, or Rachael would never hear the end of that little blunder.

"I'm unsure… you just startled me." Rachael responded, rubbing her temples. "Maybe I just needed to take a break?" She suggested, though that rarely happened. Danny may only be able to last twenty minutes working like that, but Rachael has read for twelve hours straight without looking up from her book on particular weekends. Regardless, Hannah nodded.

"Want to come hang out at my place?" Hannah asked. "Perhaps play some video games?" Though they weren't as nearly into it as Michael or Danny, Rachael and Hannah played both their games quite often. Rachael sighed.

"I didn't bring my console…" Rachael admitted reluctantly.

"I'll swing by your house and you can grab it if you like!" She enthusiastically stated, more of a demand than a suggestion. Rachael rubbed her temples and nodded wordlessly.

The library was approximately fifteen minutes from Rachael's home. Hannah continued to chatter about some sort of gossip from school, but only a few words got through to Rachael in her pensive state of mind. Why was she so startled by Hannah simply asking a question? Why did her head hurt so badly? And why was Hannah talking so  _loud_? Rachael rubbed her temples and squeezed her eyes shut, Hannah glancing over at her, her chatter cutting off instantly.

"You okay, Rachael? You've been rubbing your head like that for a while now." Hannah remarked, her loud voice causing Rachael to flinch.

"Just a headache…" Rachael murmured. Hannah looked at her apologetically.

"Oh, okay… sorry…. I didn't know…" she trailed off, looking straight at the road ahead. "Do you want me to just drop you off at home?"

Rachael shook her head. "No, I'm alright. I wanted to try out some new pokémon anyway. I just finished with their training.

Hannah still looked concerned, but nodded regardless. A few minutes of somewhat awkward silence later, Hannah pulled up to Rachael's house. It had a quite nice exterior, with a well-kept yard to the right of the driveway. In the back of the yard, a white sidewalk followed the front of the two-story house, which was comprised both red and white bricks. There were three windows, and a patio with a bright red door.

Rachael stepped in through the doorway, glancing at the granite counter, her note she left her parents remained untouched. Rachael sighed. Stumbling over to a raised cherry-colored cupboard, she analyzed the labels of the many bottles of medicines, some white and large, others small and clear, with liquids or pills filling them. Spotting the bottle she wanted, a large and white one, Rachael took the bottle, and took some of the pills from it, putting them in one of the clear baggies kept in the corner of the cabinet for this kind of occasion. Rachael grabbed a water bottle from her refrigerator, taking one of the pills as she walked up the wooden stairs, and into her room.

Rachael gazed at the beige walls of their room. She had never noticed it before, but they looked really dull. She thought of buying some posters to put up, or some pictures… or anything to add some color to the blank walls. Now that she looked around, her whole room, excepting the bookshelf, of course, seemed rather, Spartan. All her room really had was a window, an all-too ordinary bed with a dark, wooden frame and pale blue covers, the only spot of color aside from the books on her shelf, and a plain, brown desk for homework, with a basic office chair and the necessities for said homework… she would really have to redecorate.

Rachel grunted and shook her head. That came out of nowhere. Rachael grabbed her game system, which she had laid on her bookshelf the prior night. It was a bright pink, dual screen edition, with all her games downloaded onto it. This was contrary to Danny and Michael, who had physical copies of all their games on their systems. It just felt more organized to have them all in one place.

Rachael grabbed her game, and her charger as well, just in case she ended up needing it. After putting the items into her bag, Rachael groaned once more and continued to rub her temples. What was with this random headache? Rachael walked slowly outside her room, and down the short hallway, adorned with pictures from Rachael's youth, into her bathroom. Rachael turned on the faucet; water began to pour from it. After splashing her face with the water, Rachael glanced in the mirror. She noticed something sticking out from her sleeve. She felt something akin to being poked gently by a needle as she pulled out the strange object from her sleeve.

Rachael analyzed it. It was a small, gray feather, about the size of her fingernail. Rachael didn't recall ever being near flying type pokémon that day… shrugging, Rachael threw the feather in the empty trashcan, and proceeded to walk down her stairs. Her headache suddenly flared. Startled, Rachael let out a squawk of sorts out of sheer surprise when she slipped, falling down the last few steps. She hit the floor with a loud thud, and curled into a ball, clutching her head. Hearing the bedlam, Hannah came barging in.

"Oh Arceus… Are you alright, Rachael!" She ran straight to Rachael, and checked her for injuries.

"My head…" Rachael whined. "Headache… slipped… ugh…" It was no exaggeration. It was like someone driving a chisel into her skull, her heartbeat like a mallet, sending waves of pain over and over again.

Hannah stood above Rachael, not quite sure what to do, as Rachael lied there, for what felt like, to Rachael at least, hours. Suddenly, as suddenly as the pain began, it stopped. Her head throbbed slightly still, but the majority of the pain just… vanished. Not that she was complaining.

"Is it… is it gone or something?" Hannah asked, very confused.

Rachael opened her eyes and blinked several times as the world started to come into focus. "Yeah. I'm all right. Perhaps I should skip out on the battling today."

"I'd say so! Are you okay? Would you like to come to my house? I can tell my brothers and sisters to shut up for once. They are angels around other people."

Rachael chuckled. "No, no… its fine. I'll just go to sleep early. Rest should help me feel better for school tomorrow.

Hannah blinked. "Ok, but do not hesitate to call me if you have  _any_  issues."

Rachael smiled. "Of course. Thank you." Hesitantly, Hannah made her way to the door, glancing worriedly at Rachael.

"See ya tomorrow then!" she called.

"Indeed." Rachael replied. After Hannah left, Rachael looked over to the note she had left for her parents in case they came home.

"Guess I won't be needing that anymore…" She muttered under her breath as she ripped up the note and threw it in the trashcan.

Once again climbing up the stairs, Rachael stumbled into her room, as she closed the blinds, considerably darkening the room. Deciding that was enough, Rachael flopped onto her bed and got under the covers. She was soon slung into a night of tumultuous sleep and vivid dreams.

Rachael awoke with a start, her head still throbbing. This troubled her. She rarely got headaches, much less headaches that lasted as long as this one. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes. The room was surprisingly clear and easy to see. Rachael jerked upwards, swinging her head to view her bedside clock. She breathed a sigh of relief, for it was only five-thirty.

Rachael blinked in surprise. She wondered why her room was so… clear, when the sun was yet to rise. Leaning over, Rachael clicked the button that turned her alarm off, and proceeded to get out of bed. Over the next fifteen minutes, she continued to prepare herself for school.

She looked at herself in the mirror, looking at her uniform, for she went to a private school. She saw her burgundy shirt, navy blue skirt, her gla- Rachael gasped in surprise. Where were her glasses? She couldn't see without her glasses! Yet, here she was, seeing herself clearly in the mirror, without her glasses. This kind of thing doesn't just… Happen. Why was she suddenly able to see without her glasses. Looking at her reflection warily, she noticed something poking out from under her shirt's collar. Tugging at it, she felt a sharp, unexpected pain.

She examined the object. It was another grey feather. Where did this come from? Rachael shook her head, she must have been going crazy. Still wary, however, she decided to put on her uniform jacket, before grabbing her backpack.

She was walking down her stairs, when she noticed something at the bottom that should not have been there. Her glasses. Rachael hurried down the stairs, and examined her glasses. How did they get there? Then Rachael remembered yesterday, falling down the stairs. She must have dropped her glasses and forgotten to pick them up. For the most part, they were undamaged, minus a slight bend on the end. She put them on, and flinched.

The glasses made her vision  _blurrier_! This alarmed Rachael. She had never heard of anything like this happening before, but she didn't have enough time to do some research. She only had a mere fifteen minutes before she had to leave for school. Her parents were likely either asleep or already at work, so Rachael didn't bother looking to them for an answer. She decided she would just leave early for school. Tucking her glasses into her backpack, she got into her car, prepared for a good day.

"I'm guessing it  **cough**  was a not-so-good day?" Danny stated the obvious. Rachael nodded woefully.

"I let out a ridiculously loud chirp in  **chirp**  the middle of third period, left a bunch of feathers in the bathroom, and  **chirp** made a ton of people suspicious given I wasn't wearing my glasses, and I was, you know,  _chirping_. I was in the car, on my way home, when Michael texted me."

"Ouch," Danny replied sympathetically. "Don't worry,  **cough**  Rachael, we'll figure this out,  **cough**  somehow."

"Thanks Danny. I  **chirp** needed that."

"No prob. Anyway, what pokemon  **cough**   _are_ you becoming? The feathers suggest a flying type." Rachael nodded at this.

"The only flying type I can think of off the top of my head with feathers of this color is Starly. Maybe Starly?"

Danny nodded, then seemed to remember something. "Oh yeah!" He shouted. "You're in the clear guys!" Michael and Hannah re-entered the room warily.

"Have you calmed down a bit?" Hannah asked Rachael worriedly. Rachael nodded.

"Okay  **cough** guys. We need to decide what to do from here. Any  **cough**  suggestions?" Michael looked at the others, all of whom were deep in thought.

"Well  **chirp**  clearly, we are losing our vocal chords, so do you  **chirp** have any spare notepads and pencils Michael?" Rachael asked, while creating a mental list. "We might also want to pack some backpacks, because we never know what we might need. I don't see  **chirp** us going to  **chirp** the doctor's office for this. Any book  **chirp**  or TV show points to going as far away from lab-related places as possible."

Michael intervened "What about  **cough**  our… parents? What do we  **cough cough**  even  **cough** do next?"

Their thoughts were interrupted by a loud  **THUMP** from the back door.

 


	5. Absol

Michael's POV

**THUMP!**

Everyone jerked their heads in the direction of Michael's back door, which was down the hallway leading to his kitchen.

"Um… what was that noise?" Hannah asked the obvious. Michael shook his head, indicating he didn't know. It hurt his throat to talk when he didn't need to. He saw waves of purple shimmer and swirl around each of his friends, with varying degrees of intensity. Danny had only slight waves of purple, Hannah's being slightly more intense. Rachael's, however, was a violent purple, making it almost the only color he could see. Purple seemed to indicate fear. Michael could also  _feel_ the fear the others felt. He felt it magnify his own fear, until he was struggling to maintain his calm. This was silly. It was just a little noise near the back door. Why was it making him so afraid?

Then he realized it. If he was feeling the emotion similar to anyone near him, it must amplify his own feelings. That would get irritating. "Let's just  **cough**  go see what  **cough**  it is before this Riolu  **cough**  sensing thingamajig drives me to madness." They all looked at Michael with worried expressions. Michael turned around, walking through his hallway, as he glanced at the many pictures of him and his dad on the hallway. What would his dad think about this? What would he do? Michael pushed these thoughts from his head and focused on getting to his back door. He heard the others following behind him.

Once he reached his back door, he slightly pulled up the dusty blinds, as leaned up against the flaking white paint to view his backyard. Directly behind his backyard was a dense forest, leaving about fifteen yards to view. Michael gasped, then broke into a fit of coughing.

"What is it?" Rachael practically shouted, her fear slamming into Michael.

"Tone  **cough**  the fear down, please! I see two pokémon! And they're fighting!" The door was instantly crowded as waves of excitement and curiosity slammed into Michael, amplifying his own until it was nearly impossible to resist running out there right now. He saw what had caused the loud noise: a collapsed pokémon that had apparently been slammed into the wall. It was barely visible from the door's angle, but the small pool of blood certainly was visible.

"Holy- it's bleeding!" Rachael gasped in shock. "Danny!  **Chirp**  go get some oran berries from Michael's kitchen! Some bandages  **chirp**  and a mortar and pestle  **chirp**  too!"

Danny did a salute, and ran off to get the items. One of their classes in school talked about what to do in situations like these. It was one of the few classes Danny actually had a fairly good grade in.

Hannah clasped her hands over her mouth and muffled a scream. Attacking the injured Pokemon was a Pangoro; the large panda approached the downed pokémon, with an enraged expression. Slowly, almost robotically, the Pangoro raised its fist, as it started to glow a pale orange. The next few seconds seemed to happen all at once.

Michael shoved his friends out of the way, swung the door open, and ran out with one goal in mind: to save the injured pokémon. Acting purely on instinct, Michael swung his fist to meet that of the Pangoro's. Suddenly, Michael felt what could only be described as power surge through his veins. His fist became enveloped in an azure glow. Their two fists clashed, Michael pushing back the force of the Pangoro's as he felt his friends shock meet his own. Strangely, he could not sense any emotions from the Pangoro, except an all-consuming rage that felt… unnatural. Once again relying on instinct, Michael raised both his hands, and leapt up to touch the Pangoro's head. Time seemed to freeze as Michael, all at once, was able to sense every emotional aspect of the Pangoro's mind.

Hidden deep in his subconscious was a pale pink aura representing confusion and sharp purple for fear surrounded by a torrent of this red, unnatural rage. Michael tugged on the fear and confusion, pulling them forth, through the rage, into consciousness. All at once, the torrent of rage dissipated.

As soon as Michael removed his hands from the Pangoro, he snapped back into reality, realizing he was kneeling on the grass with his eyes closed. Michael stood up unsteadily. Hannah ran out to support Michael, despite the Pangoro, who opened his eyes. Michael felt the Pangoro's fear and awe towards him, and his regret and confusion mixed in, as well as helplessness. The Pangoro looked at him, pleadingly. Michael nodded, as gratitude mixed in with helplessness overcame the pokémon, as he fled back into the forest.

Michael let out a haggard breath, and turned around, to see Rachael and Danny were tending to the pokémon. Michael stumbled tiredly over to it, Hannah helping support him. Rachael ground up oran berries in the pestle until it was something resembling apple sauce in texture, as she slowly poured it into his mouth. Danny was wrapping bandages around the pokémon's wounds. Michael assessed the pokémon. It was an Absol. He seemed to be unconscious, with a small pool of blood under him. It wasn't enough to be fatal, but a lot, given the general resilience of pokémon.

After a few minutes of this, the Absol was looking much better. Oran berries were a somewhat potent source of recovery for pokémon, but they were not miracle cures, hence why bandages were a necessity. The Absol had sustained minor injuries to his legs and neck, but his worst injury was on his back from when he slammed into the wall, likely from the Pangoro. The bandages had quite a bit of blood on them, but for the most part, the bleeding had stopped.

Everyone cautiously stepped back as the pokémon started to wake up.

"Wh-who are you?" Michael gaped, Rachael gasped; even Danny seemed at a loss. Hannah stared at them in confusion. There were few seconds of shocked silence before Danny cleared his throat.

"W-well I'm  **cough**  Danny, and this is Rachael,  **cough**  Hannah, and Michael." He pointed to each person, Hannah seeming to put two and two together. Her eyes widened, but for the most part, she remained quiet. Michael felt large amounts of shock from her, as well as a small amount of jealously.

The Absol slowly pushed himself to a sitting position. "H-how did you know what I said?" The Absol was still saying his name, but now, Michael could hear new meaning behind it: slight fluctuations in tone he never could hear previously, putting new meaning behind each sound. Michael was able to comprehend it just as easily as English.

"Well… uh… it's  **chirp**  a long story." Rachael still looked dumbfounded, Michael could feel her shock from a mile away.

"Then please allow me to start with this: How did you defeat the Pangoro?"

"Oh yeah! That  **cough**  reminds me  **cough**  Michael! I didn't say anything because, you know, injured pokémon and all, but feel behind your ears." Michael followed Danny's orders.

"What are you talking abo-" Michael froze. "I'll be right back!" Danny ran inside and made a beeline for the bathroom. He couldn't help but wince when he saw his  _not human_  reflection. Slowly turning to the side, Michael gazed at what shouldn't have been there. Behind his ears were the signature feelers a Riolu had. They reached down to about his neck. Michael sighed. They must have appeared after he helped that Pangoro. Speaking of which, Michael had no idea how he did that. Deciding to try again, Michael raised his hand and forced the energy he felt into it. His hand started to glow a pale blue, but not like it had when he did this against the berserk pokémon. Michael noticed the feelers rise slightly as he did this.

A sudden wave of fatigue swept over Michael. He groaned. Stumbling out to his living room, he slumped onto his couch. He rested for a few minutes, until he forced himself up to see what his friends were doing.

"That's  **cough**  when you flew  **cough**  into the wall." Danny had been finishing the explanation of what had been happening.

"I'm  **cough cough**  somewhat glad I  **cough**  missed… that…" Michael stumbled again, this time collapsing on the ground before any of his friends could help him. The Absol watched Michael with a wary expression. Michael felt pain roar through his head. He let out a weak scream, as he clutched his head, waiting for the pain to stop. His friends watched helplessly, Hannah, not yet aware of what the headaches meant, shouted, "What is going on? What's wrong?" Danny gave Hannah a sorrowful look, as he held up a finger signaling her to wait.

After several minutes, that felt more like hours to Michael, the pain receded. Michael kept his eyes closed. "What  **cough**  happened  **cough**  this time?" Michael quietly asked in a raspy voice; Speaking was getting harder.

Danny examined him. "You're speaking  **cough**  is getting worse, and  **cough**  there is more fur on your  **cough**  arms and hands. I don't see anything else though." Michael sighed. This was getting worse, fast.

"Perhaps this has something to do with the coming disaster." The Absol added. "I am yet to see anything remotely akin to what I have just witnessed."

"Um…  **chirp**  what do you mean 'coming disaster?' That doesn't  **chirp** exactly make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Did you  **chirp**  sense something?"

The Absol nodded. "As you seem to be aware, Absol have the ability to sense disasters, as well as where the disasters are. I was tracking the location of the disaster, and it seems to revolve around you four."

"How **cough**  do we  **cough**  cause  **cough**  a disaster? We  **cough cough**  didn't do anything!" This caused quite a bit of panic in Michael.

"I am not saying you are the cause of the disaster. Whether or not the disaster happens is where you come in. A human suddenly turning into pokémon is something that does not just happen. Even the full human over there," the Absol used his head to gesture to a confused Hannah, "seems to have just as much involvement in this."

"Well what would you  **cough**  even need from us? And what can we  **cough**  do to stop a  **cough**  disaster of some sort?" Michael had not seen Danny this serious in a long time. Michael could feel more confusion from Hannah, who stayed quiet.

"Let's ask the  **chirp**  obvious question. Why  **chirp**  is this even happening? What does  _this_ ," Rachael gestured to Michael, "even  **chirp** have to do with a disaster of some sort?"

"I am not certain, but I take it you have no clue as to why these changes are occurring?" the pokémon seemed to be deep in thought.

"That  **cough**  about sums it up." Danny confirmed. "It just suddenly  **cough**  started happening yesterday. I  **cough**  skipped school due to the literal  **cough**  headache it was causing me, but  **cough**  I think Rachael here still went… We'll  **cough**  probably need to figure this out before  **cough**  we go back." Rachael slumped, donning a miserable expression.

"Do you  **chirp**  have any ideas how we could  **chirp**  figure this out…" Rachael trailed off. "Do you want  **chirp**  us to just call you Absol, or do you  **chirp**  have a name?"

"Absol will do. If you would allow me to thank you for your kindness, I know someplace we may be able to go that could tell us where to go from there."

"Where  **cough**  is said place?" Danny asked. Michael could sense trace amounts of excitement in his friend's voice.

"It is a place normally hidden from humans. You humans have your towns, and so do we pokémon." Rachael gasped.

"Pokémon  **chirp**  have villages? What are  **chirp**  they like?" Her worry changed to excitement and curiosity that was enough to give Michael another headache on its own. "That would be  **chirp**  so cool to see! But… our families…"

"Well Absol said  **cough**  that they may be able to tell us  **cough**  what to do to fix this. Wouldn't that make this the logical  **cough**  choice to make?" Michael suggested. "How long would this take?" Absol bowed his head.

"It is several hours of walking away, perhaps even a full day, at least. And that's assuming there would be some immediate answer upon our arrival." Danny groaned.

"So, I guess  **cough**  there is no hiding it from our  **cough**  parents… How do we  **cough**  plan on telling them?"

"My  **cough**  father is still out on  **cough**  business. I suppose I can leave him a note though." Michael glumly agreed.

"Would someone mind filling in the blanks for me over here?" Hannah asked in slight annoyance.

Michael interrupted. "Let's go inside first. You're welcome to come in too, Absol. Absol bowed his head politely. Everyone went inside and sat down in the living room while Michael went upstairs to go get some items.

They wouldn't all be able to carry bags if and or when the transformation complete, so Michael settled on just his biggest bag, figuring they could find a way to carry one bag as to four when it came to that. It was a pale shade of green, but had four large pockets in it. He complied with Rachael's earlier request; he stacked three notepads and a few pencils on the pale blue covers of his bed. Looking around his room, he noticed one item that caught his eye, which he quickly put in the biggest pocket of the bag, along with one of the notepads and some pencils. He put a notepad and some pencils in the other two pockets as well; leaving room for anything his friends may want to take.

As he walked back down the stairs, Rachael was informing Hannah on what she had missed. Michael realized, though he could sense some envy still, he did not see those strange swirling colors ever since he did… whatever the heck he did, with the Pangoro.

"So we  **chirp**  are going to go to this "Pokémon village" to try  **chirp**  and find a cure." Rachael finished.

"I know what you're thinking, and no. I am not staying here. I am coming with you guys. Period." Rachael's opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, after a few awkward seconds, Rachael conceded.

"Alright." She muttered. Hannah looked surprised she had given in so easily.

"This will make things more… troublesome, but I agree that it is best Miss Hannah comes too." Absol added.

"Absol, I think  **cough**  I can speak for everybody  **cough**  when I say 'No need to be so formal.' Just… ugh…" Danny trailed off, clutching his head. Michael felt a surge of fear course through Danny. "So anyway,  **cough**  just  **cough**  our names  **cough**  will do." Danny continued on as if he had not just clutched his head in pain, though Michael could still sense his fear, mixed in with determination. Michael looked at him warily.

Aside from a little extra fur, and more red at the top of his hair, Michael couldn't see anything wrong, yet he still felt Danny's dread, despite his monotone expression.

"Are you alright?" Absol asked worriedly. Danny nodded and waved the question off.

"Okay  **cough**  guys, I grabbed my  **cough**  biggest bag, with enough  **cough**  room for all of us  **cough**  to put some stuff in it. When  **cough**  we go by your houses to  **cough**  tell your parents  **cough**  and all that, you can grab a few items."

They all nodded reluctantly. "Then how about we  **cough**  go to my  **cough**  house first." Danny suggested reluctantly. Michael grabbed his bag, and took a moment to secure his hoodie, making sure anyone who looked at him would not become suspicious.

"Wait. What about Absol?" Hannah pointed out. "We aren't allowed to be Pokémon trainers yet."

"Hmm… Well if  **chirp**  anyone asks, we can  **chirp**  just say that he is just a pet. Is that  **chirp**  alright with you, Absol?" Rachael asked the Pokémon.

"Yes, I have no issues with that." He answered. Everybody got in Rachael's car, which could seat up to seven people, the front seating Hannah as the driver and Michael, the second row seating Rachael and Danny, with Absol in the back.

"So… how are we going to do this?" Hannah asked while driving.

"…"

Hannah sighed. "Alright, Danny, you'll come with me, keep your hoodie on though. Absol, Michael, Rachael, you'll come after they get over their initial shock." Everybody nodded. A few minutes later, they pulled up to Danny's house. Michael felt Danny's fears multiply ten-fold, yet when he looked back at his friend, all he saw was a deadpan expression. His fear was pounding into Michael's skull. He also noticed he saw a bit of purple start swirling around Danny again. The colors seemed to be back. Wonderful.

"Let's go." Hannah said, Michael feeling a bit of fear from her, though not near as much as Danny. He noticed Danny take a deep breath as they both exited the car, and walked up to his door.

 


	6. Families

Chapter 6

Hannah's POV

Hannah had never seen her friend so tense before. She looked at Danny, his head covered by the hoodie. He looked normal enough, Michael's backpack strapped to his back, with his hands buried deep in the pockets, hiding any of the fur on his arms. He was standing up perfectly straight, keeping a monotone expression. Hannah knew him better than that.

Hannah knocked on his door. She could hear Danny take a deep breath. Footsteps echoed from the other side of the door. The door was practically swung open. Hannah looked at Danny's mom, Amanda. Her blonde hair was short, with minor split ends. She was wearing a rather dull, simple outfit: a grey t-shirt and some worn jeans, surely a casual wear for home.

"Danny! How are you feeling? Any better? Does your head still hurt? Do you need anything? What's wrong?" She was devoted to her son; Hannah would give her that.

"N-not really. **Cough** You might **cough** want to **cough** sit down." Danny replied slowly, his mom donning a worried expression. Danny waved for me to follow. I signaled my friends to wait in the car. I looked around at Danny's lavish house, the cream couch perfectly matching the light grey, nearly blue walls. And pale curtains. It was much nicer than Hannah's generic furnishings.

"Wh-what's wrong? Are you alright?" Hannah could see his mom panicking, yet trying to maintain her calm. She too had picked up on Danny's unusually serious demeanor.

Danny pulled his hood down, revealing the fur on his face, his black and red hair, and to Hannah's surprise, a pair of fuzzy Zorua ears at the top. Hannah wanted to ask Danny when the ears had become a thing, but that sort of took a back seat to Danny's, for lack of a better word, shocked mother.

Danny's eyes were averted; he appeared to have a sudden interest in his shoes, as his mother looked him over. "We know **cough** of a way we might **cough** be able to fix this, but it requires **cough** us to go with **cough** a pokémon in the **cough** forest. It **is** a sprawling forest, so it **cough** makes sense. Obviously **cough** I can't go to school until this **cough** is fixed, so please **cough** just tell them I'm **cough** really sick or something. I'm going with Hannah **cough** and my other friends, **cough** don't try to **cough** stop me. I'm sorry." Danny's mom looked at him sorrowfully.

"Are- are you sure we can't just take you to the hospital?" His mom asked desperately.

"No… **cough** What **cough** could they do? This has never happened in the history of the world **cough** before. Not like this. This **cough** is our best bet. I'm going to go get something **cough** from my room." He jumped up and ran upstairs. This left Hannah and Miss Amanda alone.

"This is happening to the others too, but we aren't sure why. An Absol came and told them he may know of a way to help." Hannah explained. "For some reason, I'm completely fine, but they were able to understand the Absol, not me." Hannah couldn't help but let a little jealousy into her voice.

"This… I… What can I do to help?" She asked.

"Stay here, call him in sick for school, and I'd say just… support him. Danny is doing his best to keep morale up, but he will need the support of you and… where is his dad?"

"He has been working, but he should be home in a while… I- I'll explain everything to him. Just… look out for my son, please." She pleaded, tears in her eyes.

"Of course." Hannah replied. "The others will be there too."

"Th-thank you. I'll go get you guys some food."

"The forest is full of berries and apples, but some sandwiches probably wouldn't be unwelcome, especially for Danny." She nodded mutely and went to make some food, but stopped mid-way to the nearby kitchen, and turned around.

"How long will you be gone?" She asked quickly, as if she had been waiting to ask.

"Hopefully only a few days. The forest is fairly safe to travel in. Trainers commonly cut through it as a shortcut from a couple other towns." Miss Amanda nodded, and went into the kitchen. Hannah heard a door shut as Danny emerged at the top of the stairs, and made his way down.

"What did you get?" Hannah asked.

"I grabbed a **cough** couple changes of clothes, some **cough** snacks, and just **cough** another little something I wanted **cough** to take." Hannah noticed the front pocket was bulging, yet only slightly.

"How in the world did you manage to fit all that in the smallest pocket?" She asked incredulously.

"Putting more **cough** things than possible **cough** into small containers is my superpower," Danny informed with a smirk. "I hate having to take multiple trips." Hannah rolled her eyes.

"We'll have to hurry or that won't be your only 'superpower.'" She joked. Danny looked momentarily pensive, staring out the window, until his mom came back in, with a plain metal lunch box, likely full of food.

"I made some sandwiches. Miss Amanda said eagerly, waiting for Danny to take the lunchbox out of her hand. They're in a lunch box because this kiddo here," she gestured to Danny, "would completely obliterate them all compacting them into the bag." Danny didn't even try to deny it. Danny smiled, looking pleased with himself as he managed to fit the somewhat large lunchbox into the front pocket, with next to no extra bulge.

"Thank you so much Miss Amanda. We had best be going. Our friends are in the car. She nodded numbly, and quickly turned to leave. Hannah could see her trying to hide the pain she was feeling, given her stiff movements and small, aimless steps.

Danny ran up to her and gave her a hug. "I'll be back soon." He assured in a raspy voice. She nodded.

"Be safe. I love you Sweetie." She sniffed.

As they were outside, Hannah decided to take a jab at him. "Aw. That was sweet!" She said in an overdramatic voice.

"…Don't tell **cough** Rachael. She'd never let **cough** me hear the **cough** end of it."

"I'll tell you what she'll never let you hear the end of." She flicked one of the Zorua ears. "When did those even pop up?

"In the car, after **cough** I put my hoodie up." The ears lopped adorably to the sides. "Yeah. I can **cough** hear her **cough** snickering now."

"You can what?" Hannah almost shouted in shock.

"Quiet down! You'll bust my **cough** eardrums. Anyway, don't **cough** worry. I've been **cough** thinking up retorts since **cough** it started happening."

"They are adorable though."

The ears lopped farther. "The one comment I wasn't prepared for. Dang. What did my mom say anyway?" Danny asked, wanting to know more. Danny and Hannah returned to the car. Michael was wrapping fresh bandages around Absol; the old ones were covered in blood.

"There you **cough** guys are. I was just **cough** replacing **cough** the bandages. And don't worry **cough** Hannah. I **cough** made sure to keep your car clean." Michael clarified. Hannah nodded, as she turned on the car and started driving to Rachael's house.

"I'd say **cough** something **cough** about the ears, but I **cough** really have **cough** no room to talk."

Hannah could hear Rachael smothering some snickers that Danny was no doubt hearing, his ears twitching.

"You **cough** birdbrain, have no room to laugh."

Rachael started laughing, with a chorus of chirps mixed in.

"We'll se who's **cough** laughing when I'm the **cough** only one who **can** laugh!" At that, Danny started laughing too.

"Sol-Absol." Hannah heard the Absol say. Michael chuckled.

"Yeah. They do." Michael and the others understood Absol perfectly. Hannah couldn't help but envy them. She almost wished it were happening to her too. Speaking of which, why wasn't she transforming? This sort of thing had never happened, yet it only happened to them. Did they do something she did not? Did they go somewhere she did not? She shook her head. These were mysteries for later.

"Oh whatever! At least **cough** I'll be able **cough** to create illusion! Michael **cough** could do emotion voodoo! Why **cough** not illusions?"

"If this **chirp** continues, I'll have **chirp** wings. An Instant one-up."

"Rachael. Sorry to crash your party, but we're at your house." Hannah saw Rachael stiffen. Her breathing quickened. "Calm **cough** down Rachael. Don't **cough** worry. There is no **cough** reason to worry. Michael assured her in a calm tone, despite the rasp. Rachael took a deep breath, nodded, grabbed the backpack from Danny, and slowly got out of the car.

As they were walking up to the door, Rachael flinched when she saw two cars in her driveway. "Of course **chirp** they're home **chirp** now of all **chirp** times. Just come **chirp** on in." Hannah nodded, and followed Rachael as she opened the door, quickly making her way up the stairs, Hannah in tow. They opened the door to her room, Rachael shutting it behind her.

"You have to tell them, you know." Hannah pointed out.

Rachael sighed. "Yeah. I know…" She dug through her closet, picking out a few pairs of clothes, as well as some object Hannah couldn't see. She put them all into a larger pocket of the backpack. Someone knocked on Rachael's door.

"Rachael? You home? I thought I heard someone with you." Called a masculine voice, her father, Gregory.

Rachael cleared her throat, "C-come in." The door slowly opened. Rachael's dad looked incredibly formal, clad in a black business suit, with a blue tie and matching pants. His auburn hair was well combed. Though he entered the doorway in a somewhat sluggish manner, giving the impression he was extremely tired.

"You're going to have to call school and tell them I wont be there for a while." Rachael said with averted eyes. Hannah could hear the strain in her voice as she did her best not to make chirping noises. Her father looked incredibly worried.

"Honey, you never miss school. What's wrong?" He looked from Hannah to Rachael. Rachael pulled down her hood and rolled up her sleeves, revealing the feathers that were rapidly growing. Slowly, she looked to her father, dreading what she might see. He was calm.

"What happened?" He asked in monotone. Rachael blinked several times. Hannah saw a tear make its way down Rachael's face. Rachael gasped, and collapsed on her bed, clutching her head.

"Rachael? Rachael! Are you okay?" He looked to Hannah, pleading for an explanation. Just then, Rachael's mom rushed into the room.

"Rachael? Rachael! What's happening to you?" She was panicking.

"They, Rachael, Danny, and Michael, that is, have been… turning into Pokémon for some reason. Every time one of them gets a huge headache surge, something new… happens. Rachael's seems to be going the fastest though." Hannah explained. She could see them try to maintain their calm. Mr. Greg was able to keep his expression serious, but Rachael's mom Becky's long, brown hair, was already soaked in tears, though her expression was neutral. Rachael continued clutching her head on her bed. It had been about thirty seconds.

"We met someone, a pokémon, who told them that there was a place that might be able to help fix this. It's in the forest, so we may be gone for a few days. We have food, clothing, and all the necessities.

"Why… why not call the E.R.?" Becky asked, grasping at straws.

"They won't be able to help. Never in the history books has anything like this happened before, and anyway, the pokémon said he needed help from us anyway."

"I'm not buying it. Why do you think you can trust this pokémon?" Mr. Greg demanded.

"Never once did he give me the impression of anything devious, and he seemed genuinely grateful once we helped him with something." Hannah omitted the Pangoro attack. Rachael's parents didn't need to hear that part.

"Why should we trust your judgment?" Hannah looked at Mr. Greg. He did not seem to be trying to insult her. He was testing her, to see if she could think of a rational argument."

"Don't. Trust hers instead." Hannah gestured once again to Rachael, who's breathing was slowing a bit; a sign that the pain was lessening.

"We came here to tell you we would be leaving. Your daughter believes the pokémon." Mr. Greg gave a weak smile.

"Alright then."

Hannah's mouth was agape. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Hannah admired the way that Rachael's parents so strongly trusted their daughter's judgement.

Hannah heard Rachael move,, slowly, she sat up, while rubbing her head.

"Hey honey. Are you feeling better? Miss Becky sat down next to her daughter. She seemed to be much calmer. Rachael nodded mutely.

"So, you really have a way to fix this?" Rachael nodded once again.

"Okay… Sweetie… I love you. We'll call your school for you. We won't tell them about… you know…" Rachael nodded. They stood up. Rachael's father step forward and they embraced. Hannah could tell Rachael wanted to say something, yet she strangely stayed quiet.

They exited Rachael's house. Hannah noticed Rachael moving faster, as if in a hurry to reach the car. It was peculiar, Hannah, while not admitting it to herself out loud, knew why.

"How'd **cough** it go?" Michael asked as they got in the car.

"Surprisingly well, until another headache came." Hannah explained. They all turned their heads to look at Rachael.

"Absol-ab?" Absol seemed to ask something. Hannah cleared her throat, signaling for a translation.

"He **cough** asked 'What changed this time?'" Danny clarified.

"Star- **Chirp** ly- star- **chirp**!" Rachael covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes widening. "Star! Ly **chirp** star **chirp!** " She buried her head in her hands.

"That's about what I expected." Hannah admitted. Rachael blinked in surprise. The others all looked at Rachael, not with shock, but with pity and worry.

"Did your throat seem to feel different? I noticed you avoided talking after your headache." Rachael nodded, surprised. "Danny, Michael, you guys speak pokémon."

"We understand it. Not **cough** speak **cough** it. Rachael **cough** doesn't speak **cough** it either. It's completely **cough** incoherent."

"Sol-Absol-Ab-absol." Michael and Rachael looked pensive. Hannah raised her eyebrow.

"He said 'Perhaps as the changes continue to occur, the speech **cough** patterns will improve." Danny clarified.

"Rachael, in **cough** each pocket of the **cough** backpack I put a **cough** notepad and some pens."

Rachael dug through her pocket, and grabbed the notepad. She started writing.

"I'm driving. Someone read the note to me." Hannah grunted.

"Alright." Michael said. "It **cough** says 'It's as if I forgot how to **cough** speak. With the fanciest penmanship you'll see **cough** in your life." He added. Rachael rolled her eyes.

"Huh. I guess that makes sense. Anyway," Hannah stated distractedly, "We're at my place. I'm going to have trouble explaining this away… Danny! Say 'cheese'." Hannah held her phone up and took a picture.

"Seriously Danny? A peace sign?"

"Duh."

Hannah face-palmed. Shaking her head, she pulled into her driveway. Her house was a one-story brick house. Everything about it, from the white door to the blinds on the window looked clean and well kept. The lawn was freshly cut, and there was a small garden in front of the house. Her friends didn't know this, but Hannah had done most of the housekeeping herself. She nonchalantly got out of the car and entered her house. "Hi Hannah!" She heard a tiny voice shout in glee. A small boy about seven years old ran up to her and hugged her. He had brown hair, which was a shaggy mess. His normally mildly tanned face was covered in dirt, giving the impression he had been playing outside. His clothes were in no better state.

"Hello Harry." Hannah greeted him.

"I'm not Harry! I'm Harrison!"

"To me you will be Harry. Anyway, where is Dad?" Hannah asked.

"Dada is upstairs in his room! Mama is outside! I heard your car so I snuck back inside!" Harry informed.

"Go back out with your sisters, Harry." Hannah commanded. "I'm sure Bella and Taylor miss you." Hannah had three siblings. Harry, age seven, Bella, age nine, and Taylor, age three. It made her house quite the riot, but Hannah adored them all.

"Okay Hannah! Bye Bye!" Hannah chuckled at his enthusiasm. Sighing, while shoving down the fear that was making her stomach twist in knots, she made her way to her father's room. It was a complete disaster, with children's toys littering the floors, the bed unkempt with the covers balled up at the end, and the normally green walls showing some signs of crayon having been haphazardly washed off the walls. Compared to Hannah's small but tidy bedroom, this room looked as though a machoke and hitmonchan had had a fight using crayons and toys. Her father was on his bed, looking exhausted; his black hair was a mess, and dark bags drooped from his eyes. He must have been out late working, only to come home to noisy children.

He seemed to be mindlessly watching TV. "Hello Dad." Hannah greeted.

Her father grunted. "What do you need?"

Hannah flinched. "I'm leaving for a few days. My friend's have been having issues and-"

"Fine. Have fun kid. See you when you get back." Hannah almost breathed a sigh of relief not having to explain the situation, but his short, careless words caused a stab of pain.

"Uh… okay… bye then." Hannah shook her head at her father's indifference and forced down her emotions.

Hannah walked across the hallway and into her room, grabbing what she would need as well from her room. She heard a light knock on the door.

"Hannah? Where are you going?" Asked the innocent voice of Bella.

Hannah opened the door. Her little sister's childish gaze met Hannah's stare.

Bella was wearing a casual yellow dress with blue stripes on it. Her blonde pigtails perfectly matching, making her just about the cutest thing Hannah has seen. Despite having been playing outside, she was relatively dirt-free.

"I'm going somewhere with my friend's for a few days." Hannah replied. She couldn't lie to her sister.

"Where?"

"The forest…" Hannah said, growing weary.

"But there are pokeemons there." Hannah inwardly chuckled at her sister's adorable mispronunciation of "pokémon."

"Can you keep a super-secret for me?" Hannah asked, kneeling down to her sister.

"Yes! Yes! I can keep a secret! Pinkie promise!" Hannah shook pinkies with Bella. Bella was very adamant when it came to the "pinkie promise." Breaking it was a mistake Hannah never repeated.

"I'm going with a pokémon." Hannah told her.

Bella gasped in excitement. "I wanna see the pokeemon! I wanna! I wanna!" Hannah almost burst out laughing.

"I suppose I can show you. Just pinkie promise you won't talk about him to anyone." Bella crossed her arms in anger.

"I already did!"

"Do it again, please, it's very important." Bella promptly did so, beaming as though it was Christmas.

The two walked out to the car, Bella holding Hannah's hand. She opened the door to her car, only to be met with Michael's (who had his hoodie on) raised eyebrow. Hannah held up her hands. "She wanted to see Absol! I am not bringing her!"

"Ah."

Bella squealed. "A pokeemon! A pokeemon!" She crawled to the backseat before Hannah could stop her, and proceeded to hug Absol. He looked surprised more than anything.

"A-Absol." Hannah could see everyone struggling to hold in laughter and/or chirps of amusement.

"Alright Bella. Time to go back to Mom." Hannah commanded.

"Aw… okay sis… bye bye!" She took slow, sad steps back to her house, closing the door behind her.

"Anyway! Ready to go?" Everyone nodded.

Time to go on an adventure.


	7. Travel

Chapter 7

Danny's POV

They were all at Michael's house. Michael just got back from the kitchen, saying he wrote the note for his father. Rachael was sitting on his couch with her head in her hands. Danny didn't blame her. Not being able to talk, especially so soon for her, must not be easy. Why did she seem to be transforming much quicker? If whatever was doing this to them affected girls quicker, then why was Hannah not transforming into a Pokémon either? What could be causing this in the first place?

Danny hoped wherever Absol was taking them could help in some way, and yet… Would it hurt to stay like he was, if even for a short while? His and Michael's ability to speak were probably going to go down the drain soon, likely sooner than they could reach the village. He did not want to live his whole life having to play a game of charades just to say he wanted some food or something stupid like that.

"Danny? Earth to Danny!" Danny shook his head.

"Huh? What **cough** is it, Hannah?"

"We're ready to go. C'mon."

"Ah." The forest behind Michael's house was enormous, larger than many large cities, even connected to the mountains and coast. Environmental protections programs help ensure urbanization never spread too deep into pokémon habitats. There was, however, a commonly used path made for trainers. One of the entrances into the forest was only about half a mile away, at a nearby park. Trainers who managed to make the journey across the country then win in the region league were greatly respected. The trainers who won their region leagues got to compete in the world league: a competition everyone in the world hoped to win.

If they could not fix what was happening to them, would Danny never be allowed to compete when he was old enough and good enough of a trainer? Danny pondered these things as everyone made their way out the door.

Danny thought about Absol. He had been mostly quiet. His wounds had stopped bleeding long ago, the bandages barely visible under his white fur. He seemed to be the more quiet and observant type, only lending his opinion very now and again.

"Danny, you may want to put your hood on." Absol advised as they started walking.

"Oh yeah! Sorry!" Danny put his hoodie on quickly; as he checked around to make sure nobody was looking. Rachael looked worried.

"Star- **chirp** –ly Star **chirp…"** Rachael's face fell further. Even Danny wouldn't laugh at her for that. He could not imagine being unable to talk. Soon he would have to though.

They entered the park, where you could see pokémon and children playing while parents watched from blankets or benches nearby. Trees surrounded the whole area, though pokémon rarely ever wandered outside the forest, and when they did, there were enough other pokémon around to repel them. The occasional patrol officer and their growlithes were monitoring the woods and the people in the park. Danny double-checked to make sure his hoodie was hiding the stupid Zorua ears on his head.

His ears felt strange under the hoodie, yet he could hear more than he ever could in his life. It was strange. He could hear most any group, and what they were saying. He must have a heightened hearing thanks to his ears. Danny noticed Michael swaying beside him.

"Whoa, dude. Are **cough** you okay? Relatively **cough** speaking? Another headache?" Michael shook his head.

"Ugh… No, not that. Emotions **cough** flying all over the place."

"The part of you that is still currently human must not be accustomed to your pokémon abilities." Absol supplied. Rachael crossed her arms.

"Heh. Steal your thunder, did he?" Danny poked at Rachael.

"Star- **chirp** -star star!" Rachael let out a small cough from the strain on her throat.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Danny supplied, while Michael was using his shoulder as a means of support. "So, **cough** anyway, how do you suppose we get past the **cough** patrolmen? " Danny saw Rachael pull out a pen and paper as she started writing. She handed it notepad to Hannah.

"It says 'the forest isn't off-limits to teens so long as we have a pet pokémon with us. We are allowed to train and battle with pokémon, but they can be our pets, so to speak. Absol, you'll have to play along. Absol are not a very common pet pokémon, so Hannah, you'll have to talk our way to freedom.' Jeez Rachael. How did you write all this so quickly? In cursive, with one hundred percent correct punctuation, no less."

Danny laughed as Michael finally regained his balance. They walked to the entrance to the forest.

"Hey! That forest is dangerous!" A patrolman shouted at them. "No way you kids are trainers. That Absol your pet?" he asked, his growlithes standing regally beside him, a stark contrast to his blue outfit.

Absol nodded. "Yes, but I shall protect them." He said. The man looked to his Growlithe, who nodded.

"Hmm… An Absol 'aint a very common pokémon nowadays. Where did you kids get him?" Hannah stepped in.

"He's mine! Isn't he great? My parents gave him to me for my birthday! Soon I'll be able to train and battle with him! How awesome is that? For now he's just my really good friend, though!" Hannah reached down and hugged Absol, putting on one heck of a show. She was way more of a people person than Danny could ever hope to be.

The officer analyzed them. "Hmm… alrighty then. Be careful in there. Have a nice day." He hesitantly walked off, the Growlithe shooting them one more glance.

The five some finally were able to begin their walk into the forest. The forest itself was beautiful. The trees were tall and vast, covered in moss. They towered over Danny. He could even see the occasional Pidgey or Starly (Rachael would appreciate the irony, not.) in the trees overhead. The pale evening light shone down upon them, lighting up the forest beautifully.

The forest was full of berry bushes and trees, the green leaves presenting their rainbow of berries, all ripe for the picking. Danny noticed Rachael picking some Pecha berries off a nearby tree. Danny suddenly smelled something very familiar: Oran berries. He happily bounded over to a bush to pick them. Danny blinked in surprise, realizing he had smelled the berries from quite a distance. His sense of smell must also be improving. Danny shrugged as he picked a few of his favorite berries.

"Hey, Absol! What **cough** berries do you like?" Danny asked, after picking some Cheri berries for Michael and Chesto Berries for Hannah.

"I find Oran berries to be my favorite." He decided.

"My man-er, mon! Here **cough** ya go!" Danny offered Absol an Oran berry. Absol gingerly took it in his mouth, savoring it in its entirety. Danny ate. Danny walked. This was the next two hour. Nobody said anything. They just walked on the path, without complaint. The minutes and hours blended together. The day was turning to dusk, as the moon became their primary source of light. It was still very early into the night, however. Despite the dark, it wasn't cold. It was quite nice outside, really. Everyone had long since taken his or her hoodies off.

Danny couldn't help but notice what a strange sight they all were. Michael, with the Riolu feeler thingies, Rachael, with he feathered hair, and Danny, where the ears spoke for themselves.

"Here," Absol suddenly said, causing everyone to jump. "This is where we should divert from the path." They were fairly deep into the forest at this point. Not knowing where they were going could easily lead to them getting lost.

"How do you know we won't get lost?" Hannah asked, taking a guess at what Absol meant.

"He found his **cough** way to **cough** us, didn't he?" Michael asked.

"Ah. Okay then." They all made their way from the path. It went from a clear, empty path, to a rugged forest terrain. Rocks and trees were now obstacles. Yet, Danny had no trouble. He could clearly see every object, and was able to avoid them. It was back to relative silence for the next couple hours. At about ten pm, they reached a clearing where the trees made way for the moon. A river babbled nearby.

Hannah collapsed in the clearing, Michael doing the same.

"Man. That was the longest **cough** walk of my life. And **cough** it was great!" Michael laughed. Hannah nodded in agreement. Rachael nonchalantly walked over and sat down wordlessly. Not that she could talk if she wanted to.

Danny walked over, Absol in tow. "This is **cough** great! I feel **cough** amazing! This **cough** has been **cough** great!" Danny's rant was interrupted with a searing pain in his head.

His head felt like it was ripping apart. Danny let out a weak groan, as he stumbled over to the river nearby. The others turned to him. "My turn, Rachael." He grunted. She heard him. Her mournful gaze met Danny's. He kneeled down, though for the most part, he remained upright. He started breathing heavy as the world lurched around him.

As quickly as it started, it stopped. The pain was gone, in his head, at least. Danny noticed his back hurt moderately. He tried to groan, but all that came out was a strange growling noise.

"Are you alright?" Absol asked. Danny shook his head, and gestured to his mouth, then his back.

"You cannot speak and… Your back hurts? That may mean the more… skeletal changes are starting to occur." Everyone except Hannah's eyes widened. Michael whispered the translation in her ear. She flinched in disbelief.

"How **cough** long until we reach the village?" Michael asked worriedly.

"If we leave early in the morning, we should reach it before the afternoon." He supplied. Michael translated for Hannah, who nodded.

For now, they all decided to sleep. Danny did not say anything. He could not. He knew that. Sorrow filled him at the idea of not being able to talk again, but right now, sleep was his only worry.

"I have fur to keep myself warm, but how are you four going to keep warm at night?" Absol asked in concern. Danny snapped his fingers. He pointed to the bag Hannah had been carrying through the trip. After she handed it to him, he dug through the tightly packed front pocket. He pulled out four thin sleeping bags. They weren't comfortable; built more for compact warmth, but they would do. He tossed on to each of his friends.

"How did you fit this in that one pocket, Danny?" Hannah asked, incredulously. Danny just smiled. He would not answer that if he even were physically capable of it. They all slipped into the sleeping bags. The stars above them were gorgeous. It truly felt like they were on with nature. Danny pulled his phone out. He had no service here anyway. How had his father reacted to him leaving? It hurt Danny to leave them like this, but he had no choice. That was the story he went with, at least. Deep down, he knew that he had mainly gone along with it because he wanted to. Not because he needed to.

Danny's eyes drooped. Total, blissful darkness claimed him.

Danny woke up to the smell of Oran berries. His new sense of smell forced him up and to the food. He reached into the bag, where the smell was coming from. He pulled out the metal lunch box. Danny unpacked an Oran berry sandwich from it, the jam perfectly spread on the bread. His favorite. Danny smiled.

Munching on his snack, he glanced around. Rachael and Hannah were sound asleep. It made sense, given the sun had not even begun to rise. He could just tell it was morning, albeit early morning. It may have had something to do with him being part dark type now. Maybe some pokémon instincts had given him the internal clock he never had. That, or the fact he was awake at all meant it was going to be morning soon.

Absol was lying down, but was awake, keeping watch. Danny noticed Michael's sleeping bag was empty. Glancing around, he spotted Michael by the river. Danny grabbed one of the sandwiches and strode over to him.

"Hey Danny." Michael greeted him as he sat down next to him. "I couldn't sleep. My back **cough** has been killing me. This may sound **cough** stupid, but I feel **cough** as though I am shorter…" Danny noticed Michael did indeed seem several inches shorter, about half a foot, to be exact. He nodded. Danny sighed.

"Ugh. So it wasn't my imagination. Figures."

Danny handed Michael a sandwich. "Heh. Thanks. This whole **cough** thing has been freaking me **cough** out, really. We have **cough** reached the point where if they were **cough** to find some way to just **cough** halt the transformation, we'd **cough** all pretty much be in **cough** a permanent state of **cough** pain. Rachael hasn't **cough** said anything, but she simply looked in pain last night. Her **cough** arms were so stiff and she was **cough** slightly panicked." Danny felt bad for not noticing that.

"She probably has it the **cough** worst and best at the same time. On the **cough** one hand, she's turning into a bird. She won't **cough** even have digits, aside from talons. On the **cough** other hand, she'll have wings. She was slightly excited at that aspect, though **cough** mostly afraid." Danny was worried about her too. She was a strong person though. They'd all be okay. He looked intently at Michael.

"Yeah, I know. She **cough** is a strong person. But how **cough** about you?" The question surprised Danny. "Are you **cough** alright?" Danny gave a so-so sign with his hand, shaking it.

"I hear that. This is **cough** exciting and terrifying. I wonder **cough** how the pokémon will receive us. We **are** humans, after all." Danny looked to Absol.

"He's been worried too. But this **cough** is the only lead we have." Danny nodded in agreement.

"Thanks Danny. Let's go wake the sleepyheads up. We should get a head start. Danny nodded and followed as the sky slowly turned a dull grey.

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking again. They just walked for another few hours. None of them were athletes or something like that, so this amount of walking was exhausting. He could see Hannah trying to hide her exhausted limp. Nobody complained though. It gave Danny time to think, anyway.

The whole thing was still hard to grasp. Danny was turning into a pokémon, a Zorua, of all things. Why was he turning into a Zorua, when Michael and Rachael were turning into two totally different pokémon? Honestly, a Zorua was perfectly fine with him, if he had to pick a pokémon to turn in to. The whole ideas of illusions sounded fun.

Michael had not complained about Riolu. He knew it was a pokémon Michael liked, but he had yet to sing praise about being a Riolu. Danny could not imagine why though.

Then there was Rachael. She was the most mixed bag out of all of them. She seemed excited and terrified about turning into a pokémon, excited and terrified at being a Starly; exited and terrified at being able to fly.

Danny's thoughts just continued on as they walked. The forest all looked the same. Large trees, moss, flowers, and berries; these were the only things Danny saw while they walked.

"Stop," Absol demanded out of the blue, shaking everyone out of his or her thoughts or idle chatter. Michael translated as Absol gave instructions. "The village is near. You should follow behind me. The village knows me quite well, but they will likely be suspicious of you. Humans are typically not welcome around here, but this is not 'typically.' We will speak with the village elder. He should lend us aid. Treat him with respect when we do."

"Will they try and harm us?" Hannah asked fearfully.

"They are much less likely to attack if I vouch for you. Do not make any threats, and you will be fine." Michael translated; Hannah nodded.

Nothing looked majorly different. They walked another mile or so through the forest. Danny noticed subtle changes in the environment. The berry bushes were located with much more order, the trees were taller, and there seemed to be a lot less pokémon. The forest was dead quiet. Not even the occasional Pidgey or Deerling were visible. It was eerie- until a blue sphere of energy barreled towards Danny. Before he had time to react, the sphere slammed directly into his chest. Pain exploded in his chest. He was vaguely aware of slamming into a tree.

His vision was fuzzy, but he forced himself to stand up, albeit unsteadily, anyway. Danny stared hazily at the figure in front of him. It was a Lucario- correction, a very upset Lucario.

"Who are you? How did you find this place?" He demanded. He lowered his voice an octave. " _What_ are you?" He held a firm stance, as if ready to attack at any moment.

"I went out searching for the cause of the strange upcoming disaster I sensed. It seems to hinge on these four." Absol explained. He opened his mouth to explain more, but the Lucario interrupted him.

"You _dare_ bring the cause of it here? You fool! If you won't kill them I will!" The Lucario lunged at Rachael, paws outstretched and glowing a faint orange.

"No! Wait!" Absol moved to intercept him. The Lucario jumped to avoid Absol, bringing the force palm down upon Absol. He let out a yowl, before collapsing under the force of the super effective attack.

"Fool." He murmured. Holding his arm back, the Lucario charged an aura sphere, the blue orb of energy growing bigger. Rachael tried to take cover, but had no time.

"NO!" Danny shouted at the top of his lungs, as the sphere hurtled toward Hannah. Suddenly, he felt a power unlike any he had ever felt build up in him. He thrust his arms outward. A black beam of swirling energy erupted from his hands.

"What?" The Lucario was shocked as the ray of energy intercepted the sphere, causing a compact explosion. He stared at Danny. " _What_ are you?" Danny was not sure how to respond to that. He could not say human, or he would be blasted in the face. If he said he was a pokémon, he would be blasted in the gut.

Suddenly another pokémon joined in. A Ponyta seemed to appear out of nowhere. It galloped up to Danny and stood next to him. "It's a kid, moron! Kids without any clue why you are attacking in the middle of nowhere. And in case you didn't notice, like everything else; they came here for help." The Ponyta continued, "Maybe you didn't notice the _ears_ , idiot. Let me give you a little reminder." The Ponyta suddenly became engulfed in light. For a split second, all that could be seen was a shrinking ball of light. It vanished the next instant, a Zorua standing where the Ponyta was.

Hannah gasped in surprise, Rachael letting out a surprised chirping sound. Michael could not do much more than cough. Danny kept his cool though. He was not in the mood to bark or anything; not with his chest, hurting like it was. Random dark pulse laser beams were not miracle chest wound cure-alls.

The Lucario took a step back, but maintained his icy glare.

"Oh and these feathers! Remind you of anything? Light engulfed the Zorua for an instant, before a Starly took off where he was, making a short flight up to Rachael's shoulder. She stiffened, but did not move otherwise. The Lucario's expression had changed from enraged to irritate.

"Oh! And my personal favorite! To think you were about to strike down a future member of your own species! For shame!" He said in an overly dramatic voice. The pokémon was enjoying his game at this point, transforming into a Riolu and walking over Michael, leaning on his leg. The Lucario stared daggers into the transforming pokémon.

"Relax, if they wanted to hurt me, they would have tried by now! Not that they could." The Riolu laughed. "Seriously though. Go back to patrolling. I'll look after them until the chief deems them trustworthy." The irritated Lucario shook his head.

"Should you not be doing your job?" He demanded.

"Pssh. Kids are my job. Now scram. Watch for a real threat, rather than four harmless children."

The Lucario looked furious. "Whatever. You're not worth my time, anyway." He sprinted off.

"What a moron. Anyway, here, Kid." The Riolu turned into Audino, a pink beam of energy shot out from the pokémon's hands, straight into Danny's chest.

Immediately, Danny felt leagues better. He was still exhausted, but the pain was gone. "Thank you. I feel much better." Danny thanked.

"That's the point of heal pulse. Now c'mon. We've got to go talk to the chief. We'll get you filled in on… everything really. Follow me- Oh wait." The pokémon turned to Absol, as he healed him too.

"Ugh…" Absol groaned, standing up slowly. The Audino transformed back into a Ponyta.

"Hurry up. Time to go to the chief." The pokémon snapped, in a seemingly completely different mood.

"Nice to see you, too, Ditto." So the pokémon was a Ditto. That explained the transforming, but how did he turn into a Ponyta and Audino? It's possible he was able to turn into a Zorua, Starly, and Riolu because that's what they were all turning into. A ditto needs to be in the presence of a pokémon to turn into it, yet there were no Audino or Ponyta in sight.

The Ditto turned Ponyta took off at a soft trot. "When we get there, don't do anything stupid. The village is full of impulsive morons, like Lucario. He guards the village, but he's way too rash." The pokémon explained. "So what are your names?"

Danny tried to answer, but instead let out a short yip, forgetting he could not speak for an instant.

The Ditto halted. "Hahahahahaha!" He fell on the ground in fits of laughter. Danny had to admit it was funny, but it was still embarrassing.

"Hah… Hah… Nice bark there! Can't you speak normally?" He was still chuckling. Danny shook his head.

"Any clue why that's even happening to you guys?" Danny shook his head again. Ditto groaned.

"Lame. Can any of you, aside the full human, duh, speak?" He continued.

"I can a **cough** little, but **cough** I doubt for long." Michael informed.

"Ugh. That cough is annoying. C'mon. We'll worry about talking to the chief in a minute. We're almost there." Suddenly, Danny became aware of a pink ripple effect around the Ditto. Slowly, he **disappeared** , right in front of everyone. Rachael let out a surprised squawk, which Danny would make fun of if he could.

"Um… explanation please?" Hannah said lamely.

"Follow me." Absol commanded. Michael translated for Hannah. They walked up to where the pokémon had disappeared. Now that they were closer, Danny could see what looked like a pale pink layer of… something or another. It extended to the top of the trees before curving, as if it were a giant bubble. It was borderline impossible to see from several feet back. Despite the Ditto seemingly going through it, he was not visible on the other side.

"Do not fear. You are in no danger." Absol assured. Then he walked through it. Pink ripple effects formed in the bubble as he walked through. By the time the ripple effects cleared, he was completely gone.

Danny shrugged, being unable to do much more. He decided to bite the bullet, and walk through. Instantly, Danny's surroundings changed. His jaw dropped to the ground. There was an entire city in the forest!

Danny couldn't believe how unexpectedly beautiful this city, in the middle of the deep forest, could be. Large trees overhead created a canopy of green and blue leaves, but not too many to where it was dark. The sun shone down like spotlights, illuminating the many simple yet beautiful tree houses. Various wood types and colors made up different tree houses, so while each tree house looked similar enough to match, they had enough color distinction to stand out, but also not too much to where they looked gaudy. The roofs of the tree houses were made of vines of varying sizes with lush green leaves and flowers mixed in, adding splashes of color that made the tree houses stand out further. They even had windows, which were really just holes cut out in the houses, yet they were lined with flowers ranging in all kinds of colors, all of them strategically placed to match the flowers near it.

Bridges that ranged from being made of wooden planks to sturdy vines and branches connected all the houses to the ground and each other. One tree in the middle, larger than the rest, particularly caught Danny's attention. It was at least three times at wide as the rest of the trees in the town, and seemed to have much more attention and care put into it, for it did not have a tree house in it. Instead, there was a large opening in the trunk itself, surrounded by carvings in the tree. Patterns aligning the doorframe were very smooth and well cut, giving off a sense of extreme importance to this tree.

Danny looked behind him. His friends were walking through, equally as amazed as he was.

Danny saw the Ponyta-er… Ditto that was helping them earlier. He was talking with a pawniard. "These teenagers, for now at least, are under mine and Absol's responsibility until further notice, whether you like it or not." He stated bluntly.

The Pawniard nodded emotionlessly, and sprinted off. It was here Danny noticed a _lot_ of pokémon were staring at them, with varying emotions.

There must have been a hundred pokémon, just in the few miles Danny could see. A stark contrast from the ominously empty forest he had thought he was in.

Many different pokémon were there, such as grass, bug, flying, and normal types. There were also several mountainous pokémon, and Danny could even see a few ice types walking around.

Some of the younger, basic stage children pokémon looked at them with wonder and curiosity. However, the stage one and two pokémon looked at them in fear and anger. He was vaguely aware of Rachael cowering behind Hannah. She had never been a huge fan of crowds.

"Well? C'mon! I don't have all day!" Ditto commanded. They all followed him through the village. The village was dead quiet, a silence that was making Danny uncomfortable.

Several painful minutes of walking later, they reached the large tree, where two Bisharps stood, blocking the doorway. The knight pokémon were almost immobile, as they closely watched the group.

"Let us through." Ditto commanded. "We need to talk to the chief."

"You must request audience with him beforehand." One of the Bisharp stated in deadpan.

"Would you rather me take these guys to some place in the village until 'later' comes? I'm pretty sure nobody would."

The Bisharp looked uncertain. Well, as uncertain as one could look when all you moved were your eyes.

"Let them in," called a deep voice from inside the tree. The two Bisharp moved out of the way without hesitation.

The oddball group entered the large tree. The entire tree was hallowed out. An azure glow lit the tree up on the inside; with small lanterns mounted on the wall made out of smoothly cut white stone, each with a bright blue flame in it. Some were mounted on walls, yet some were hanging by sturdy vines from the ceiling at different heights. The entire room was several yards high, and large enough to hold about fifty people. A large, wooden arch was adjacent to the doorway, with more small lanterns hanging from it, as well as pink and blue flowers.

Standing under the arch, was a Torterra. The giant turtle's shell was embellished with flowers as well. On the right end of the room, two Turtwigs were romping and playing, tackling and fighting each other in play. One of them noticed the group, and froze up while on top of the other Turtwig, who stared at them while still on his back.

"'Sup, chief!" Ditto greeted, somewhat distractedly, as he stared affectionately at the Turtwig children. "Take two guesses as to why I'm here."

The Torterra sighed. "Yes, hello Ditto." His voice was mildly raspy, as though old and wise. "Humans, I know Absol would not have brought you here without reason. Explain yourselves."

"Uh… hi." Michael started awkwardly. "So I'm Michael, this is **cough** Hannah, Rachael, and Danny. Hannah **cough** can't understand you, and neither Rachael nor Danny can speak. I can **cough** only barely speak. So we are **cough** all kinda in the dark here. We were just having a **cough** Sunday, when… things… started changing. It started small, walking **cough** differently, losing **cough** our voices, things like that. All three of **cough** us got major headaches, which flare up every time something new happens. Such as **cough** feathers, ears, and these feeler thingamabobs."

"Eloquent, kiddo." Ditto interrupted.

"Anyway," Michael continued, "We were **cough** trying to figure out what to do, when **cough** Absol came in **cough** and started talking about some kind **cough** of disaster we all had something to do with, and that you may **cough** have some idea of what to do. We had no other **cough** leads, honestly." He admitted.

"I see. When did these headaches start, exactly?" Torterra asked.

"About… four PM to six PM I believe." He answered.

"Peculiar. Had you been in contact with any pokémon before then?"

"No."

"Hmm… the issue is, some pokémon have been getting headaches as well these past three days."

"Uh… what?" Michael asked for all of them.

"We have been able to treat this, yet some pokémon have been getting strange headaches, which have been altering their behaviors or deteriorating their health in some way. Somehow you three specifically seem to have been affected by the same thing."

"Can you **cough** cure us?" Michael asked, albeit without much hope behind his voice.

"Not at this instant. If our healers were to stop whatever was doing this to you now, we would not be able to reverse the affects. Merely halt them. You would be trapped the way you are currently in." Rachael's eyes widened visibly. Danny could notice a fair amount of sorrow in her eyes especially.

"At… this instant?"

"There may yet be hope, and you are clearly intertwined in this issue. I have a few ideas, but we must tend to some things before we can attempt them. Ditto and Absol will stay with you at all times. For both our safety and yours. Many pokémon here fear humans, and may react with hostility to lone humans."

"Why me?" Ditto demanded.

"Children are your job, are they not? The normal Dittos can deal with the village children for a while." Normal Ditto? What was special about this Ditto?

"What do you need to tend to?" Hannah asked. Everyone whipped his or her heads around to Hannah. She blinked. She blinked again. Then it dawned on her, as she gasped.

"H-how did I…?" she looked panicked at that moment. The Torterra looked trouble.

"Are you in any pain, human?"

"N-no…? I just could… understand you at some point… I'm not sure when… I was paying more attention to the words…"

"We may be able to halt the transformation then, if it is indeed the same thing plaguing us, since you are yet to be in pain. When was the last time any of you had a headache?"

"We had not **cough** had any today, but one of us is bound **cough** to soon. Rachael's seems **cough** to be moving the fastest, however." Michael supplied.

"I see. You may stay in one of the vacant tree houses. Again, very few Pokémon will be welcoming of you, so you best be on your guard. Ditto will help you for the next few days. I am willing to give you a chance, given your circumstances. Do not abuse this chance. Rachael stumbled. Oh the ironic timing.

" **Chirp** Star- **chirp** ly ly-help… hurts…" All three of them gasped, as her speaking suddenly became clearer, meaning forming behind the chirps and squawks she was only capable of making.

She collapsed onto the ground, tears flowing from her eyes. At first, Danny thought this was just another small change, but that all changed when there was a resounding **SNAP!** Hannah put her hands to her mouth as she looked away. Rachael's body was slowly contorting gruesomely. She was curled into a ball, crying. Another **SNAP!** She went limp.

"She's unconscious. Let's take her to the infirmary! Now!" The ditto was deadly serious, turning into a Machamp. Using all four arms, he was able to lift Danny's unconscious friend.

"Ah! Th-thank you **cough** for your help!" Michael hastily thanked the Torterra.

Torterra nodded. "Yes. Now go with your friend."

Everyone turned to follow Ditto. They ran about a quarter mile, drawing several more stares from the pokémon of the town.

They ran into a particularly embellished, wooden house on the floor. It was covered almost top to bottom in pink flowers, likely to stress it being an infirmary. Ditto set Rachael down on one of the wool beds. An Audino and Chansey quickly ran in to care for the unexpected patient.

"She's stable." The Audino confirmed. "There is not much we can do except wait, however. We need her to stay asleep, however. We have a Gardevoir healer we will have her on standby to make sure she stays asleep. We will ask for the details later." The Audino was far more concerned for Rachael's immediate health rather than her being human, which Danny appreciated.

Another sickening **SNAP!** Longer feathers were growing from Rachael as Danny watched. He felt sick to his stomach. Rachael's transformation was finishing, one-way or another. There was nothing he could do to help.


	8. Fly

Chapter 8

Rachael's POV

_She was floating in darkness. Nothing but darkness surrounded her. It was quiet and calm, yet also eerie. Despite the darkness, she could see herself with perfect clarity. She looked at her arms, expecting to see the small the feathers she had had as of late._

_There were no feathers. She tried her voice._

_"Hello…?" she tried quietly. No chirping. What was going on? The space in front of her rippled. She saw her reflection. It was normal. She had her normal, featherless black hair, pale skin, and her glasses. She would have cheered if it had not started to ripple again._

_When the ripples stopped, she saw her, but not her. Her hair had long, black feathers mixed in with it. A slight amount of red tinting was at the very top. No feathers were on her arms, however. Rachael felt her hair quickly. There were no feathers in it. Her strange reflection moved her arm too, revealing something. Rachael turned to the side. Were those…?_

_A wave of agony swept through Rachael, as she felt herself shift and contort. She tried to scream, instead making a loud, agonized squawking noise._

Rachael jolted awake, though she kept her eyes closed. Dear Arceus she was sore.

"Au-Audi- no" She heard, which her brain automatically translated to "I think she's waking up now."

Rachael groaned and tried to ask, "What happened…?" She heard herself say "Ly star Starly ly…" yet at the same time it sounded like what she tried to say. It was as though she was hearing what she actually said as background noise, while the meanings behind the words were what she really listened too.

She felt wool underneath her. It was actually quite comfortable, compared the sleeping bag from the last night. Despite this, she ached all over.

It didn't help how sore her wings were. What happened, anyway? The last thing she remembered was Torterra talking and-

WAIT WINGS?!

Rachael's eyes snapped open, as she stood up and looked around frantically. Or at least she tried to stand. Something was off about her legs, and she fell on her face. She felt her beak reach the wooden bed below the wool. Wait… a BEAK!

Rachael started panicking, her breathing quickening. She pulled herself into a less uncomfortable position, somehow.

"Rachael, are you okay?" She heard Hannah. Oh thank Arceus.

She turned to face the doorway. Rachael was in the corner of the building. It was simple, yet it looked nice. Pink flowers decorated the roof, while shelves upon shelves of berries covered the walls. Hanging from the ceiling were the same strange lanterns from the giant tree Torterra was in. Hannah had been sitting near the doorframe, which had an afternoon light shining through. Hannah was approaching her bed, except she was enormous. Either Hannah and the rest of the world grew massive, or Rachael… shrunk.

"No… please don't tell me…" Rachael trailed off. She took a deep breath, and looked at herself. She turned her head to the side. She saw a grey, feathered, wing. It was outstretched and limp.

Hannah solemnly nodded, "Are you feeling better though?"

"Relatively speaking," Rachael dryly answered. "How are Danny and Michael?"

"I'll take you to see the others in a moment. First, why don't you try to figure out how to move without tripping?"

Rachael tried to move one of her wings. The part of her wing attached to her side was a ball joint like a human shoulder. It was the second joint that messed with Rachael's head. It moved in the exact opposite direction of an elbow, and the natural position of the wing was propped onto her side. Rather than hanging straight down like arms, the wings natural position seemed to be propped on her side. The strangest thing was how the limb just seemed to… end, due to the lack of a hand at the end. Slowly Rachael moved both feathery wings back and forth, up and down, as much as she could do so.

While she wore a façade of calm curiosity, she was terrified. Did this mean she could be "captured" now? It probably did. She was a pokémon now! How was she supposed to go to school, much less collage as a Starly? And what about her parents? They did not exactly sign up for a bird as a child.

And yet, a small part of her was filled with joy. Wings! Maybe she could learn to fly! The idea was intriguing and exciting, yet also terrifying.

After moving her limbs around for a few minutes, the Audio brought her an oran berry. Rachael saw Hannah wrinkle her nose.

"Here, you must still be in pain. Eat this berry. It will help you heal faster."

"Thank you, for all your help." Rachael thanked.

"Oh don't worry about it sweetie! Now eat this berry!"

Rachael's stomach growled, and loud.

"I- uh… how long was I out, anyway?"

"You were out like a light for over a day. The transformation had only finished a couple hours ago, and I suspect you were too drained to wake up." Hannah supplied. The Audino gave a little laugh.

"I guess you must be hungry! Well what are your favorite berries? I'm sure we have them!"

"Well… I like cheri berries quite a bit… pecha berries taste really good too…" Her stomach growled again.

"Cheri berries? That's surprising. Usually only electric and fire pokémon like those."

"Uh…"

"Oh! Right! Sorry! We're not used to having humans around here, might I add." The Audino brought Rachael several oran, pecha, and cheri berries.

"Thank you… now… let's see…" Rachael pierced the oran berry with her beak, and used the bottom of her beak to break off a small chunk, which she ate. It was awkward, but it would do. The Audino continued to talk as Rachael ate.

"You're friends have been rotating times here these past several hours. That Michael kid stopped being able to talk a couple hours after you started to transform." Rachael felt bad for him. There were plenty of things Rachael had wanted to say while they were traveling but could not.

We were able to stop whatever was starting to transform Hannah. It's still in there, but it's halted, and should remain that way. It takes quite a few Gardevoirs and Audino to do it for one pokémon and-slash-or human, but we did!"

Hannah cut her off. "The guys and I have been doing alright, too! Ditto has been taking them and helping them… well… not suck with their abilities. They still have the skill level of small children, but that can be chalked up to them not having fully developed abilities yet." Rachael felt her head spiraling. The Audino and Hannah combined made the worlds' most talkative duo.

"Why don't you hate me? Torterra said pokémon here weren't very fond of humans." Rachael asked between bites. The Audino looked pensive.

"A lot of pokémon here view humans as 'guilty until proven innocent' when it comes to them as a person. There are a few pokémon here willing to be more open, but it's a very unpopular opinion. Even Chief Torterra is mistrusting of humans at the start, but he is a lot more levelheaded about it. That's why he gave you a chance. He allowed you to tell the full story, and he judged from there, but a lot of the pokémon, like that Lucario, will respond with more fear." The Audino supplied.

"Why are pokémon so afraid of humans?" Rachael asked.

"Several years ago, pokémon have caught wind of a surplus of killed pokémon that belonged to trainers. Pokémon have been extremely fearful of humans since then. I just find it hard to be afraid of humans who are fearfully following a pokémon carrying an unconscious human curled up in a ball." She finished with a slight smirk of humor.

"Humans aren't even allowed to train pokémon until age eighteen due to all those occurrences." Rachael responded.

"Really now? That does explain why the trainers seen in the forest are much older than they used to be. We constantly have pokémon in the forest making sure no humans near the village. I hope this means the few dozen pokémon that have been caught are alright…" The Audino trailed off worriedly.

"How do they get caught?"

"Well we have to send in more than just, say, a Pidgey or Fletchinder here or there, or it would get suspicious. "

"Oh… okay then." Rachael finished awkwardly, deciding to return to eating the berries.

Rachael finished eating her food. They were the best berries she had ever eaten. Maybe her sense of taste had increased since transforming. "How about we go see the others now?" Hannah nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! Can you walk? Probably not very well… I can carry you! Plus, that reduces the odd of pokémon trying to attack me! Let's go!"

Before Rachael had time to protest, Hannah scooped Rachael up in her arms.

Rachael let out a chorus of surprised chirps. Arceus it was embarrassing; being carried like a pet.

Rachael inwardly gasped as she noticed how well she could see. Her vision seemed so much sharper. She could see small discrepancies in color, as well as the smallest changes in shape or texture. Even when she had needed her glasses and had them on, she could never see this far or well.

"You know, Rachael, you look really cool as a Starly. I've never seen one look like you do." Hannah started as they walked through the forest.

"What do you mean?" Rachael asked in confusion.

"Well you have the grey feathers, but there are many black feathers mixed in, like the color of your hair. Your eyes even have a splash of hazel in them!"

Turning her head as much as she could, she noticed there were some black feathers mixed in with her grey ones. Rachael felt some amount of relief wash over her. Despite this change, she was still herself. Even though it was something small, the assurance was indescribably… calming.

"Isn't this place awesome?" Hannah was so excited. She must have been waiting to show Rachael the forest.

"It certainly is. The structures are unexpectedly well built, and the flowers are ingenious means of decoration. It's amazing they keep them alive, though.

Many pokémon were walking to and from houses, tending to gardens, having sparring matches, and taking part in other activities. They didn't stare nearly as much as they had when they first arrived. Some of them shot Hannah wary glances, but then continued on their way.

Rachael noticed an incredibly large amount of alternate colored pokémon, commonly referred to as shinies, in the town. About three of every ten pokémon was a shiny; those were incredible odds compared to the extreme rarity of them in the rest of the world. "How on earth are there so many shiny pokémon?" Rachael was shocked.

'So apparently, shiny pokémon are really important to the villages, because they are different than normal pokémon. A normal pokémon can perform all the things you'd expect, but shinies have some unique ability depending on their species that no normal pokémon of their species has! That's how Ditto was able to transform into pokémon that weren't nearby! He's a shiny!"

"A shiny ditto? So he can turn into any pokémon at will?"

"Yeah! That's why he is one of the main teachers to all the children pokémon! The normal dittos do too, because they can turn into each student, but the shiny ditto is the best at it, due to having full flexibility.

"Hannah, for the love of Arceus, please, slow down. I can barely understand you." Rachael's head was flying into a tailspin.

"Well we're here! This is where the guys have been the past several hours!"

They were in a large clearing. There was a sparkling blue lake next to lush green grass. It was not incredibly decorated, yet it was still gorgeous. A few of the trees nearby all worked together, their branches supporting one, large building, decorated in the same way as most of the tree houses, except five times as large. The vine bridges led straight down to the clearing.

In said clearing, were Danny, Michael, Absol, and a pokémon Rachael figured was ditto, given he had just transformed from a Zorua to a Riolu.

Danny had much more fur on his arms, his hair also having turned almost completely black, minus the odd blonde hair. It was spiked upward like a Zorua, and had the red tip at the top. His hands had some a light layer of red fur covering them.

Michael's hair was completely blue, with the exception of very little brown. He had the complete Riolu fur mash on his face. He was noticeably shorter, not that Rachael could make fun of him for that, and he was walking strictly on the ball of his foot with no difficulty.

Michael was focusing on trying his punching a tree, his hand glowing a slight blue. Danny was holding his hand out, as if expecting to palm hand something, with Ditto yelling at him. Absol sat and watched, trying to hide his amusement.

Danny noticed Hannah and Rachael, and seemed to give a gasp.

Rachael saw him gesture to Michael, whose face lit up like a Christmas tree.

Michael and Danny started running towards Rachael, Michael going considerably faster than Rachael had ever seen him move, easily passing Danny.

"Hi Michael. Hi Danny. You guys look good." Rachael tried.

Danny gave a small, ironic smirk, and Michael gestured with his arm, as if to say, "So do you."

"Heya kid. Are you sore at all? Are you in any pain?" Ditto asked, in the form of a Riolu.

"I was until I ate some oran berries a short while ago. Why?" Rachael felt a strange sense of foreboding.

"You're not? Good! I'm teaching you how to fly, then!" Rachael let out a chirp of fear.

"C-come again?"

"Fly, kiddo. F-L-Y! Fly!" Ditto was smiling in a mock evilness. There was a bright flash, a Staraptor standing there the next moment.

Dramatically, he unfurled his wings. With a powerful push downward, he lifted off, and charged towards Hannah. Hannah and Rachael both let out shouts-slash-chirps of shock. Hannah stumbled backwards, Ditto grabbing Rachael in his talons. Rachael saw the ground shrink below her, and she shrieked again.

"Oh quiet down, kid! You're a bird!" Ditto shouted over the wind.

"Well I'm new at it!" Rachael retorted. "I only woke up a bird an hour ago!"

"Excuses excuses!" he chided. Rachael would have rolled her eyes if they weren't so fixated on the ground a solid ninety feet below. Ditto landed on a branch at the top of the tallest tree by the clearing, one without a tree house on it, and threw Rachael onto a large branch. Rachael flailed, trying desperately not to fall.

"Alright, lesson one, kid. Your talons are used for gripping branches. You are not a flatfooted human anymore."

"I never really thought of it like that… not that I had a reason too!" Rachael retorted. Once she gained her balance, Rachael tried moving her… talons to grip the branch. "I'm surprised you're not laughing your tail feathers off at this…" She added dryly.

"It took me a while to figure out various forms of pokémon, and I **am** a pokémon. I'd been learning since I was a child. A teenager going from a human to a bird cannot be easy. Those other two kids are able to learn a lot easier, but they've had more time to transition. You were pretty much thrown into it."

"Wow… you never struck me as the…"

"Not a grumpy jerk type? I get that a lot. Don't worry about it, kid." Rachael dropped the topic. She focused on moving her talons. After about a minute, she decided it was a lot like moving a hand. It felt strange, sure, but Rachael was soon able to grip the branch with her yellow talons.

"You good? Good. Step two: I push you off the branch."

"What?! No!"

"Just start by holding them outstretched, keep your back tail-feathers straight, and don't worry. I won't let you get hurt." He suddenly seemed much more serious. "I promise."

Rachael blinked. Before she had time to respond, she was shoved off the branch. She let out a startled chirp as the ground lurched towards her. Quickly, she snapped out her wings in an attempt to break her fall. She jerked upwards, her falling changed to a diagonal decline.

Still panicking, she curved her wings upward in an attempt to slow her descent. She went from dive-bombing, to a slow, horizontal decent. She was so _high!_ About forty feet below her, Danny, Michael, Hannah, and Absol were watching her, all of them smiling.

She felt so… _free_! Deciding to take a chance, she tilted her wings downwards slightly. She quickly gained speed and lost altitude. Before she got too close to the ground, she tilted her wings back. She swooped back upward in an exhilarating rush.

She let out a chorus of overjoyed chirps. Then she noticed how close she was to a tree. She started flapping her wings forward in a panic. She was forced onto her back as she plummeted to the ground. Flapping her wings only making her go faster in her panic.

She felt something grab her talon, as she slowed to a stop, about fifteen feet from the ground. Rachael was breathing heavily, hanging upside down.

"Okay, gliding: you're not half bad. Landing: could use some improvements." Ditto observed.

"You don't say." Rachael snapped back. "That was… terrifying."

"You'll do better next time. Back to the branch!" He flew back to the branch with Rachael in tow. "How did you know to tilt your wings? That took me ages to figure out." He asked once they returned to the branch.

"Well pointing them downward would make the wind force me downward because of the curve and position of the wings. Holding them back would create more resistance, slowing my fall." Rachael explained. "Flapping my wings forward, with too much force, was probably what caused me to fall."

"That's… exactly right. You're a much quicker study than most kids I teach. It's kinda refreshing. Okay! Since you seem to be okay at actually gliding, next up is turning, since it'll help you… you know, avoid trees. You need to do a couple things at once. It may be hard at first, but you'll get used to it."

"Uh… okay…"

"Okay, so, wings. We'll start there. In the direction you want to turn, you'll lower that wing, and raise the other. You also need to turn your tail feathers in said direction, and hold them there steadily. You'll need to be careful to turn them the right direction, or you'll lose control. It doesn't have to be far. In fact, it can't be far, but it makes a big difference. You know how to move them right?"

"No…"

"Oh. Right. Human. Well, you can turn them slightly… it's hard to explain. Just give it a shot."

"Um… alright… never tried before…" It took several strange minutes, but eventually Rachael was able to slightly shift her tail feathers from side to side. "Alright… I think I got it…"

"Okay! Okay! No need to push me this time!" Rachael shouted, as Ditto got closer to her. She took a deep breath, and jumped.

Snapping her wings out, Rachael began gliding. She decided to try turning left, since the right ended up near a lake. She lowered her left wing, and raised her other. She started to turn her feathers, but she lost control, as she failed through the air for a second. She was able to regain her balance, stretching her wings back out.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on turning her tail feathers with her wings at the same time. She began to gently turn left. She let out a chirp of triumph, and turned a bit sharper.

After straightening out, Rachael took a deep breath. She tilted her wings and tail feathers to turn right. Slowly, she began coasting right. Angled her wings down, making her go faster. She was getting close to the ground, so she sprawled her wings outwards, slowing her decent.

She was still going somewhat fast, however. She let out a short cry as she tripped touching down, face planting into the dirt. She heard Danny making a noise that could be a laugh meets cough.

She must be making a really stupid pose, her feathers sticking straight up as her wings were sprawled on the dirt. She quickly got back up, watching Ditto glide down to meet her.

"Up we go!" He said, grabbing Rachael as they flew back to the branch. "It astonishes me you can already glide so well, even though the landing is rocky. Let's spend some time tweaking it. That was the next couple of hours. Ditto had transformed into a Starly as to a Staraptor for some reason, only changing when he had to carry Rachael up. They spent the next couple of hours perfecting Rachael's gliding. After the work, Rachael could glide, do sharp turns, even U-turns. She could also do a roll mid-air, which Ditto was insistent on her learning despite its apparent uselessness. She had also gotten much better at landing, though she sometimes still stumbled a little.

And Rachael enjoyed every minute of it. It was unlike anything she ever experienced. She had no reason to fear heights. She was not nearly as bound by gravity. She just felt so… free.

"Alright kid! Let's take a short break, then we'll get on with the fun stuff."

"What? But I'm okay! I can do more!" Rachael insisted, on top of the branch.

"You haven't eaten since this afternoon. You must be hungry.

"You're tired, aren't you?" Ditto flinched at Rachael's accusations.

"It's the turning into Staraptor that tires me out."

"Really? Why?" Rachael asked, surprised.

"Basic and stage on pokémon I can turn into indefinitely, but stage two pokémon take a lot more energy, so I can't spend more than an hour, sometimes two if I push it, straight as a stage two pokémon. That's also why you don't see me turning into legendary pokémon. A minor legendary, like Heatran, Celebi, or Diancie would drain all my energy after five minutes. Then I'd be out like a light for a day. Id I were to turn into something like Yveltal, Dialga, or Arceus, an entire weeks worth of energy would be used in ten seconds, and I'd be unconscious until then. Since I turned into a Staraptor for short periods of time, I'll be fine in about twenty minutes."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I should not have put such strain on you. My sincere apologies."

"Kid, no need to be so formal. I'm fine."

"Very well… I'm going to go talk with my friends. They appeared to be working pretty hard, too." Ditto nodded, then transformed.

This was the first time Rachael had seen Ditto when he wasn't transformed. He was a bright, vibrant blue, though his ductile makeup looked strange compared to the Starly that was there mere seconds ago. Deciding not to stare, Rachael jumped off the branch and descended down to her friends, who were resting by the lake in the evening light.

She reveled in the feeling of the wind, blowing by her as the ground rushed past her. The howl of the wind in her ears was like a chorus of Meloettas. The force of the air underneath her just made her feel… powerful. She reached her friends, as she spread her wings out to land. Her perfect landing made her look way better than she actually was.

"Any new headaches?" Rachael asked her friends.

"By the looks of it, yeah, but it was just small things for these two." Hannah gestured to the guys, who were both smiling.

"Why do you think it went so much faster for me?" Rachael asked. It was difficult to understand. Michael looked pensive for a moment, and then he reached into the bag and pulled out his notepad. After he finished writing, he handed it to Rachael, AKA set it down in front of her, because, you know, lack of hands.

"'Perhaps it is because Starly is simpler in terms of abilities. You may have turned into a flying type, but there is no illusion or aura voodoo involved. It must have been a simpler transformation overall.' I guess that makes sense. I haven't exactly started trying to use moves like wing attack or whatever though."

"The disaster." Absol said ominously.

"What? What about it?" Hannah asked worriedly.

"The disaster… draws near… ugh." Absol began to sway, before shaking it off. "Oh. Sorry. I lost myself for an instant there."

"You got a headache, didn't you?" Rachael asked, despite knowing the answer.

"I am fine."

"No, you are not. We are taking you to Audino right now. Don't do this to yourself."

"I am perfectly fine. It has already passed. It is not something you need to concern yourself with."

"Don't be stubborn! We're taking you to Audino, and now!" Rachael insisted.

"No, Rachael. We'll take him. Ditto looks about ready to get back to flying lessons with you. Besides, its not like you can carry him."

"Oh, right. Are you sure?"  
"Absolutely." Hannah insisted.

"I am perfectly fine. You do not need to-" Absol was cut off as Michael grabbed him and slug Absol over his shoulders. It was a pretty funny sight, since Michael was considerably shorter than he used to be.

"I'll walk! Just set me down!" Absol demanded as the others laughed. Michael set Absol down, and they proceeded to walk to the infirmary.

"Alright, kiddo! Ready to get back to it?" Ditto said from behind her, causing her to jump. "You won't achieve liftoff like that. We'll start by teaching you to fly after-"

"Being pushed off a branch?"

"Bingo."

Back on the tree, Ditto began his explanation. "You've picked up astonishingly fast on gliding, which really was the hard part. Now you just need to flap, but keep them steady. To turn when you're not just gliding, you need to flap one wing with more force. Easy as pie."

"That's it? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Rachael demanded.

"Because the last thing we need is you spinning out above the trees."

"Oh. Right… well, here goes nothing." Rachael dove off the tree, opening her wings into a glide. Once she gained enough speed, she began to force them downward, and then letting the wind pull her wings back up. She began to gain altitude. Joy surged through her.

Flapping her wings harder, she shot in to the sky, above the trees. The exhilaration was unlike any she had experienced before. Gliding was fun, but this was a whole new level of amazing! She flew to be about ten feet above the tallest tree, then returning to a glide. The trees blurred below her as she flapped her wings to pick up speed. After about ten minutes of just joyfully soaring, she returned to the clearing. She saw the branch Ditto was watching from.

Rachael flew inwards, but made sure it was slow. Once she got close enough, she snapped her wings in, landing perfectly.

"H-how did you learn an entire months worth of flying skills in one freaking day? You aren't even a pokémon, yet you already are almost as good as me! That's incredible!"

"I… I don't know…" Rachael was somewhat troubled by this. Perhaps it meant she was more a pokémon mentally than she had feared. She felt as though her mind was untouched, but then again, how would she notice? Maybe it was basic instincts that ingrained themselves into her mind.

"Now comes the hardest part. Then I'll let you fly on your own. I'll still be watching, but you'll have an easier time. Takeoff. Glide down to the ground."

Rachael did as she was told, Ditto following her. She stumbled a bit on the landing, but was good for the most part.

"Alright. You will have a tough time getting off the ground from a standstill as a Starly, but it should be easier come evolution." Rachael did not mention how she would, or at least hoped she would, be human by that point.

"You'll need to gain a little momentum, so flap your wings as you try and run."

Rachael opened her wings, and started a somewhat fast gait. Walking was not easy, and felt very awkward compared to the natural… perfection of flying. Nonetheless, she did what she was told. Soon she felt an upward tug on her wings. She quickly pushed downward with all her force, being levitated slightly off the ground, before promptly tipping forward and landing back on the ground.

"Oof… What did I do wrong?" Rachael asked as she got back up and tried to brush off the dirt whatever way possible. She noticed her friends returning in her peripheral vision, as they smiled at her. Danny waved.

"You forgot to start flapping right away, and once you started gaining lift, you stopped flapping, as if expecting to glide." He informed.

"Oh. Okay. I'll try again!" Rachael was determined at this point. She started gaining momentum, making sure to flap her wings. Once she felt that upward tug, she forced her wings down with all her might, but made a point to continue flapping. It was exhausting, like trying to ride a bike uphill, but she did it. Slowly, she started to gain altitude, gaining speed until she could easily soar upwards.

She let out a shriek of joy. She felt unstoppable! Gravity could not bind her to the ground anymore! She could stay like this forever! The realization hit her like a freight train. She was in fact a Starly. She had not given much real thought to it before, but she truly was a Starly.

And she liked it.

She wanted to turn back human, but at the same time, she wanted to remain unbound by gravity, to be really, and truly free. Flying was nothing like on an airplane, where you had no control. She had perfect control over everything. Deciding to push those worries to the back of her mind, she swooped down to Ditto, who's beak was open in shock.

"How did you just… perfect that on you second try? I've been teaching your friends too, and they haven't been picking up on anything near as fast!"

"Maybe because they're just transforming slower? I haven't done anything special."

"Don't be modest, Kid. That was incredible. Again. Let's absolutely perfect it, then tomorrow I'll teach you how to use pokémon moves." Rachael nodded, and took off again. After soaring for about ten blissful minutes, not letting any fatigue stop her. She looked down at her friends. Danny and Michael were practicing their abilities on some trees, Absol coaching Danny in the way of dark-type moves, by the looks of it. Hannah sat by the river, watching them contently.

She soared above for a few more minutes. Then she heard a noise that made her heart stop. A quick shriek was cut off abruptly. Everyone heard it. Rachael frantically searched the lake.

Hannah was gone, yet the water was far more disturbed, bubbles shooting up from underneath. Rachael even saw white flashes underneath.

Hannah was being drowned.


	9. Water

Chapter 9

Hannah's POV

Hannah let out a scream as she felt something large pierce her back and drag her in to the deep, blue lake. Her vision blurred as water and bubbles surrounded her, little light reaching her. She flailed, as she was forced farther down the lake. The world around her flipped and distorted. She couldn't tell which way was up or down. She flailed frantically, trying to hold her breath.

She felt an acute, searing pain flood through her. She barely kept from screaming, as she flailed harder. The pain continued to surge through her system, as she was dragged deeper and deeper underwater. She saw flashes of white. She felt as though her whole body were on fire.

Hannah could not see. She could hardly think of anything except to get away. She felt herself being dragged deeper and deeper into the large lake. Hannah looked around frantically, as she felt her attacker let go of her back. She saw red clouds of blood in the water. She was starting to get dizzy from the pain and blood loss. She felt more pain in her arm as her attacker clamped down on it, and started pulling her through a cave under the water, sending more jolts of pain down her spine.

Hannah was so dizzy, from the pain. She could not stay awake. She took a deep breath as darkness claimed her.

Hannah awoke slowly. Her vision was blurry, and she was in so much pain. Her right arm felt like someone had dug a knife through it. She felt numb all over. Her back hurt the worst though. She felt as though someone had drilled holes into her back, and then poured magma on them.

What had happened? Hannah spent a few seconds thinking about this. She was by the lake… She remembered watching Rachael flying through the air… then being yanked into the lake… did she pass out? Hannah blinked, trying to clear her vision. The rock underneath her was very uncomfortable. Her vision cleared, as Hannah looked around to try and gain her bearings.

Hannah tried to sit up, but it felt strange to. Her movements were slow, for she was unable to move normally. Why was that? It was as if she was moving…

Then it hit her. She was underwater.

Hannah let out a short scream, and then covered her mouth, trying not to breathe. But wait… she must have been breathing while she was unconscious. What was going on?

Slowly, Hannah removed her hands. Despite her instincts screaming not to, she inhaled. Hannah was shocked. It felt like breathing in air! Hannah had accidentally inhaled water in the past, and it certainly did not feel like this. Calming herself, Hannah looked around.

It felt strange, being underwater yet also breathing. She noticed that, despite any kind of light source, Hannah could see with relative clarity. The walls around her were a brown, weathered down stone, a thin layer of green algae and moss on the stone below her. Hannah looked up. There did not appear to be any air at the top of the cave. Just water. How had she gotten here?

Hannah turned and looked to her back slowly. She nearly passed out. Her shirt was in tatters at the back, and her back was covered in gashes, some of them still bleeding. The sight made her dizzy. She needed to get out of here and find Audino. Putting the pain in the back of her mind, she forced herself up. She started swimming. It felt strange: to swim but not be forced up by the oxygen at all times. While there was still a slight upward pull, she felt much heavier, though she could still swim perfectly fine.

She swam, looking for some sign of light. After swimming for a blank fifteen minutes, she came up on a fork in the cave. Perfect. She swam into the crossroad. She felt a slight tug leading to the right. A current! The only problem though: had her attacker carried her up or downstream?

Downstream being the more likely direction she was pulled, she headed in the opposite hoping to find the large lake from the village. The whole thing was surreal. Why was she able to breathe? It must have been from the phenomenon that had started turning her into a pokémon! It must have been able to start soon enough to let her breathe underwater!

It was something little kids always hoped to do. Heck, Hannah used to hope she could breathe underwater. Actually doing it though, was very surreal. It felt like a dream. She swam for what she estimated to be an hour. It must have been night at this point. The pain in her back was making it hard to keep swimming. Were her friends worried? Did they think she was… dead?

"YOU!" She heard someone shout from behind her. The sound was dulled by the water, but she heard it clearly enough. "How are you still alive?! I should have killed you!" Hannah felt a sense of foreboding, as she turned to face her attacker. It was an Eelektrik, but rather than the navy blue it is supposed to be, it was more of a sky blue.

"S-stop! What did I ever do to you?" Hannah shouted back, despite the words being muffled.

The Eelektrik narrowed his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me! You were in the village! I don't know how you got here, and how you're still alive, but I'll make sure you don't go back!" He shouted as he started sparking, causing Hannah's skin to tingle.

"N-No! Please! I never tried to hurt you! Don't you think I'd have tried to hurt Absol or Ditto by now if I did want to hurt anyone? Torterra gave me permission to stay here!" Hannah tried desperately.

He growled, and charged her. Hannah gasped as he clamped down on her left arm, a searing pain shooting through her. She screamed. "Stop! Please stop!" she begged. He glared, as his yellow markings lit up. Hannah screamed once more as electricity coursed through her body.

She was desperate. She flailed, trying to escape. Then everything changed in an instant.

Fear consuming her, she put her legs together; she did a quick flip mid air, bashing the surprised Eelektrik with them. He released her, dazed.

Not even thinking, she swam through the cloud of blood, trying desperately to reach the lake, where hopefully her friends would be. She dared to quickly glance behind her. The Eelektrik, glowing a sickly yellow, was charging her once more.

She swam with all her might. Everything blurred around her.

"Help! Help me! Please! Anyone!" She shouted, in hoped of finding someone willing to save her. She could have sworn she saw the occasional water type pokémon. She called out again for help.

But nobody came…

She was getting tired, the blood loss making her dizzy. Any pokémon she passed seemed too afraid to help her. Eelektrik was catching up. With another surge, he caught onto her shoulder, as he began shooting electricity through her.

Hannah screamed again, louder than she ever had, despite being underwater. "Stop… Please… Stop…" She begged quietly. She fought for consciousness. Red clouds of blood surrounded her. She couldn't afford much more blood loss. She felt her attacker being ripped from her back. She let out a gasp of pain, as she began to sink.

"What the actual **hell** do you think you are doing?!" Hannah heard someone say. She tried to see who it was, but her vision was blurry, and she could barely think.

"It's a human that was in the village! She knows where we are! I couldn't let her live!" He retorted.

"This kid? Don't you think I, who was only a few yards behind her, would have taken care of her if she were a threat? And in case you didn't notice, she is freaking **breathing** underwater, along with **the tail!** " Hannah barely even registered the word "tail." "What else should you do? Maybe you should spend two seconds figuring out the **freaking** situation! Now you have ten seconds to get out of my sight, or you'll have to answer to me!"

Hannah saw one of the blurry visages expand in size, the other shying away.

"Fine! But don't let yourself be fooled by a human!" Eelektrik retorted. "You're smarter than that, Ditto!"

"Five… Four… Three…" Ditto counted down.

"F-fine!" She saw Eelektrik's visage dart away. Ditto seemed to shrink and gain a purple hue, for a short instance. He then grew a little, and shifted to yellow. As he neared her, she could barely make out a Floatzel.

"Kid! Oh, Arceus! How much blood have you lost?"

"Uh… bled… lots…" Hannah slurred.

"Okay Kid! Stay awake! Don't fall asleep on me!" Hannah felt Ditto pull her onto her back, as he grabbed her arms, pulling them over his shoulders. She felt numb all over. She was very tired. Her eyes were drooping.

"Come on Hannah! Don't fall asleep on me! Come on! Stay awake! Stay with me!" He said as he used the two tails to propel forward.

"But… Tired…" Hannah slurred back.

"You can't sleep now! Stay awake for just a little while! Come on kid! We're almost there! I'll kill you if you die!" Hannah fought to stay awake. Everything was starting to fade to black.

"We're almost here, Kid! Audino is on her way! Don't worry! You'll be fine! Come on! Stay with me! Your friends need you! Stay awake!" Ditto shouted at her, as they ascended at the top of the lake.

It was nighttime. Hannah saw several figures running towards them as Ditto pulled them both to the surface.

"Audino! Hustle up! Life on the line here! She's lost ungodly amounts of blood! Keep her in the water, though!" Ditto's voice was distant.

"I'm coming! Sit tight Hannah! You'll be alright."

"Mm-hmm…" Hannah mumbled.

"Oh my Arceus! Hannah! Hannah!" It was Rachael's voice.

"Hi… Ray…Chell… How're your… wings…?" Hannah continued to slur.

"This is serious! Rachael, fly to the infirmary and-"

Hannah didn't hear the rest.

She started to wake up. She was warm. It felt nice. She heard voices.

"She's stirring. Gardevoir, put her back to sleep, before she is in too much pain. She's still critical." Hannah fell back asleep.

Hannah woke up again. She was still warm. She was comfortable. She opened her eyes, to look around. All she could see were grey, walls of stone around her, allowing her about three feet in each direction. She was also… underwater. She began to panic as memories started returning to her. Was she back in the cave? Was that Eelektrik coming back? Hannah took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She looked around. Then she looked up. She realized the walls were only about nine feet high, before it made way for air. She must be in some sort of stone tank. It must have been the water type medical tank Hannah recalled Audino telling her about. She tried to stand up, but realized… she didn't have her legs.

"Gah! What's going on?" Hannah noticed instead of legs, she had… a tail, a Milotic tail, to be precise. Oh Arceus… would she have to live her whole life like this? But she didn't even have a headache! When did this first happen?

Then Hannah remembered. She must have gotten the tail after the Eelektrik attacked her a second time! She recalled being panicked, then feeling a surge of power that she forced into her legs. Maybe she could take the power out?

Taking a deep breath, Hannah searched her… tail, for something odd other than it's being a tail. She felt a strange power there. Like she was powerful there, but nowhere else.

Slowly, Hannah tried to mentally force the power out, to spread out through her body. It was like trying to press dough between your hands, except with your mind.

It happened all at once. She felt weak as her tail began to glow a strange blue. Her tail divided into two legs, with her jeans still on. Thank Arceus. She didn't even care that they were wet. Because, well, so was the rest of her.

She once again tried to stand up in the water, only to be met with a huge flare of pain. She let out a gasp. She took this moment to analyze herself. She turned to look at her back. She had one of her extra shirts she had packed. It's being wet didn't seem to bother her though. It must be from her new water typing. Slowly, she pulled the back of the shirt up a bit.

Her back was covered in scars. She gasped at this. Some of them were large ovals, as though something had pierced her flesh and was pulled smoothly out, some of them long, jagged cuts. She put her shirt back down, feeling sick. She looked at her shoulder, another source of pain. While not as bad, her right shoulder was still covered in similar marks, though they weren't visible without pulling down her shirt collar a bit, so they could be hidden.

Her arms were also in poor condition, long cuts running down them, but they weren't as visible as the ones on her back and shoulder. She shivered, despite the water being warm. All it took was one Eelektrik, and look at her condition. She was a mess, and the scars hurt horribly.

"Hannah? Are you awake?" She heard a female voice. It sounded like Audino.

"Y-yeah…" Hannah stuttered. Forcing through the pain, Hannah swam to the surface of the tank.

"Wonderful! You're friends will be so glad! They're in their temporary house right now. You were out for a full day! We can get the Gardevoir healer to transport you while in the water to-"

"I'm fine. I-I can walk." Hannah muttered, starting to climb out of the tank. Her back and shoulder hurt horribly, but she continued anyway.

"Oh! How did you do that?" Audino asked, shocked. "We had to have Ditto transport you here after you reached the lake, by making him turn into an Alakazam. After you passed out, Rachael flew and got you some Oran berries. Ditto and I both worked for hours to keep you alive. Ditto had to purify the water by turning into a Suicune for a split second at a time. He's exhausted now. You were bleeding so much!

"I feel dizzy just thinking about it."

"Ditto explained what happened once he got down there. He turned into a Seismitoad to scare of Eelektrik. Then he swam with you, while you were barely conscious."

"Mm-hmm… I remember that. Listen, no offence, but I want to go see my friends now." Hannah admitted. She was exhausted and just wanted out of the water.

"Oh! Okay! I'll help you! Be careful! Your wounds may still hurt." Audino offered. Slowly, Hannah climbed out of the tank. It was about halfway underground, so the healers could still reach the pokémon, but elevated enough to keep the water in. Hannah barely suppressed a groan as she got out, shaking.

"Lean on me." Audino commanded. Hannah complied, still shaking and weak. It was night, the moon barely visible through the trees. The stone lanterns Audino named as dragonfire lamps lighted the village. Dragonfire apparently didn't require a fuel to burn, and could burn almost endlessly. It cast an eerie blue glow across the village.

While they were walking, Hannah couldn't help but think about what happened. It was terrifying. She had almost been killed! It was hard to actually grasp that her life was mere minutes away from ending by the time Ditto got her back.

They walked for several minutes, before they reached the house. Torterra had permitted them to stay in. It was fairly close the clearing, and was elevated in a tree's branch, not too far off the ground, but not too close. Her, Danny, Rachael, Michael, and Ditto stayed there. Hannah didn't know where Absol went during the night, but he was always back by morning. Ditto stayed to protect them from fearful pokémon; something Hannah now feared much more. They all slept in their sleeping bags the last night Hannah had been there. They weren't exactly in the position to complain about having to share a tree house, so they all kept quiet.

There was a sturdy vine ladder for climbing up. Hannah began to climb, despite her arms, shoulders, and back screaming out in protest. Tears leaked from Hannah's eyes as she climbed.

"Oh dear… Hannah, are you sure you're alright?" Audino asked worriedly from the bottom.

"Yes! I'm f-fine! You can go back to the infirmary. I'll be all right. Thank you." Hannah continued to climb. After several painful minutes, Hannah reached the top, panting. She saw Audino turn and head back to the infirmary.

Hannah made sure to roll the sleeves of her shirt down to hide the scars, and walked inside. The room was anything but bland on the inside. Flowers adorned the walls in beautiful pink and blue patterns, Michael and Danny were both asleep, but Rachael was not. The human-turned-Starly was sitting beside one of the lanterns reading. She must have packed her book.

"Hannah! Oh Arceus! You're alright!" She shouted, causing Michael and Danny to stir. Michael was even shorter, having pawn instead of hands at this point. Danny seemed to be sleeping in a hunched over position on his side, with more fur, and his nose turned completely into that of a Zorua. It looked kind of silly.

Danny's eyes widened, Michael still seeming to be half asleep.

"Hannah! We were so worried! What happened?" Rachael continued frantically. Danny reached over and clamped his hand over Rachael's beak, with a tired expression.

"Zor Zoru-Ua? Zorua zor" He said, which Hannah translated to, "Are you hurting still? You were bleeding really bad." Hannah shook her head and waved off his question. He looked skeptical, but didn't press it. He gestured to her jeans, which were still soaked, yet Hannah couldn't care less about that.

"Huh? Oh, that! Uh… yeah… I must have been able to do something that lets me either have the Milotic tail or normal legs."

"What about your hair?"

"What about it?"

"The pink antennae and strands of hair?" Hannah felt her hair. Sure enough, there were two, wire like antennae sticking up slightly, and Hannah would wager she had some pink hair. She shrugged, yet this caused a fresh wave of pain. Her breathing quickened, as she could almost feel the Eelektrik clinging painfully onto her back. Michael's eyes widened. He must have been able to feel the fear. Dang it.

Michael stole Rachael's lantern. She objected with an immature squawk. He pulled out his notepad and pencil. It was obvious he hadn't written much since his hands turned into paws, and he looked confused for a moment, before he awkwardly grabbed it with both hands and wrote out two shaky words.

_What happened?_

"N-nothing!" Hannah denied as she started shaking. "I-I'm fine! Don't w-worry about me!"

"We weren't allowed to see you while Audino and a few other healers were taking care of you. We didn't see the bulk of your injuries. What happened?" Rachael asked, her voice strong and firm.

"Nothing! I-I'm fine!" Hannah denied.

Rachael deadpanned, and flew up to Hannah's shoulder; thankfully landing on her not-as-badly- hurt one. She gingerly used one of her talons to pull down the back of Hannah's shirt, and gasped.

"No! No you are **not** fine!" She almost shouted. The marks on her other shoulder now visible, Rachael's eyes widened further. "Show me your arms." She commanded.

Head bowed in resignation, Hannah pulled up her sleeves, wincing at the pain. Rachael started tearing up a bit, while Danny and Michael looked horrified. Hannah looked away. "Don't worry about me! Let's go talk to Torterra tomorrow to get a good idea of what to do." Hannah tried changing the topic. "I'm tired anyway! Goodnight!" Hannah grabbed her sleeping bag, pulling it to one side of the room. It was thin, not as warm as the water back at the infirmary, but it would work.

Hannah fell asleep instantly.

_She was back in the water cave, swimming slowly, her legs calmly kicking behind her. She was following the current this time, a gentle smile on her face. Her smiled faded into a frown when the crystal clear water became a pale red. Hannah gasped, taking a deep breath as the red fully consumed the water. The red thickened to the color of blood. Hannah couldn't see anything, until white sparks came from right in front of her._

_Hannah quickly turned to swim the other way, her eyes being burned by the blood water. The current forced her backward, becoming stronger, until she was right in front of the Eelektrik. He looked happy, as he lunged towards her and-_

Hannah woke up gasping. She was disoriented for a moment, as she tried to figure out where she was. She saw the familiar blue glow of the dragonfire lamp by Rachael, who was sprawled out under the sleeping bag, taking up barely any space in her new form.

Attempting to be quiet, Hannah slowly rose from her bag. She walked outside, breathing in the fresh air. It still seemed to be night, though Hannah felt like it would probably be morning soon. She sat on the wooden balcony. It was like one large, shaped, branch. She heard some footsteps behind her, as she saw Michael walk toward her, holding his notepad. He sat down next to her.

"Hey, Michael. Did I wake you up?" Hannah asked him. Michael pointed to the feelers on the back of his head. "Oh… my panicking did… sorry…" Hannah apologized. "I'm fine though, really!" She insisted. Michael frowned, and wrote something on his notebook, and showed to her.

"No, I probably won't be able to go back to sleep." Hannah admitted. He wrote something else. "The lake! Why?" Hannah whispered and shouted at the same time. 'To practice? To practice what?" Michael pointed to her legs. "Oh… okay…" She conceded, putting on a brave face.

They quietly made their way down the ladder, Hannah taking one of the nearby dragonfire lamps. The clearing was quiet and serene. Usually, at home, despite living in a more suburban area, you could still hear plenty of cars or other technological items. Here, however, it was always peaceful.

They strolled to the lake, Hannah shoving her fear down. "S-so… uh… I'm just supposed to g-get in…?" Hannah's breathing quickened. "B-but… what if Eelektrik gets back?" Michael held up his hand. Quickly, he pulled off his shirt and got into the water.

The lake was made as if someone had directly punched a hole in the ground, so the water got very deep very fast. The dragonfire lantern lit Michael up fairly well as he waded through the water. He took a deep breath, and forced his pawed fists together. His paws lit up with an ethereal orange glow. Michael jerked his head, to indicate Hannah should get in. She took a deep, calming breath, and waded in.

Michael used his paw to gesture to Hannah's legs. Amazingly, that strange orange fire-like glow was still burning even underwater. It did supply a decent light source for him though. Hannah could see under the water fine.

Hannah closed her eyes, and focused on the strange energy she felt spreading through her. After she focused on it, she could move it as she pleased. She forced it where she felt it after she woke up. She let out a short gasp as her legs began to glow an ethereal blue, and her legs started to merge together. It was a very odd feeling, but it didn't hurt. When it was done, Hannah was floating in the water, moving the Milotic tail back and forth without even thinking about it.

"Huh… the blue glow reminds me of Aqua Tail." Hannah remembered seeing a Dragonite using the move on a television show she saw once. Michael's eyes lit up, not literally of course. He gestured wildly to her tail. "So you think I just… used Aqua Tail and… that's when the tail come and goes?" Hannah guessed. Michael nodded eagerly.

"I hope you can talk soon. You look nuts gesturing like that with your arms in the water." Michael's face looked grim for a second, before it faded. He gestured underwater.

"Um… Okay…" Hannah slowly began swimming. It was like swimming with one, powerful leg. It came rather naturally. She swam under the water. She realized she was holding her breath; it was really hard to suddenly disregard the general rule of "Don't breathe water." After a second, she toughened up and inhaled again. The water felt just like breathing air, just like the last two times.

Though the water definitely did feel different on her eyes, it didn't hurt. She swam in wide circles, up and down. Now this begs the question: Audino confirmed they were able to pause the genetic changes, by forcing her DNA to stay not change further, as it were, so why did she never get a headache? One could argue it had been fairly early into the transformation, but that clearly wasn't the case. She was not as far gone as Michael, Danny, and Rachael, yet being able to use Aqua Tail to grow a Milotic Tail was not a "minor change" by any means.

So it had gone really fast yet painfully for Rachael, moderately quickly and painlessly for Hannah, slowly and unbearably painful for Michael, yet Danny's had been slow, but only painful to the point where he would groan for a second, and could power through it. It seemed to go at different speeds for all of them.

Why was it only them transforming? Hannah frowned. Was it only them transforming? Hannah and her friends haven't exactly been in touch with the world for the past week. How were her siblings? She could only hope they were all right.

She mulled over what had happened for a few minutes, then shook her head and made her way back up. Michael was on his back floating through the water calmly. "Thanks, Michael. I needed that." Hannah admitted. She was much calmer now. The sky was a dull grey, signaling the upcoming morning. Michael nodded, and gestured to their tree house. "Yeah. We can go wake up the others. Then we can go see Torterra." Hannah agreed to what Michael likely meant.

Hannah ditched the tail, and got out of the lake. Her wet clothes did not bother her in the slightest. Michael put his shirt back on as they walked back to the tree house. Some of the village was starting to wake up, the occasional pokémon visible walking across a bridge, building new tree houses, and going about their other business.

They entered the tree house. Danny was already awake, sitting on the balcony, but Rachael was still sound asleep. She probably stayed up late reading, though it probably would not take much to wake her up. She always has been an early bird, which has never been more ironic.

Within ten minutes, they were all awake, although Rachael was still drowsy. Danny seemed to be able to wake up much fast and stay up later, though he seemed forever lest energetic during the day. It must be due to the dark typing. Ditto was much more energetic, as he followed them, transformed into an Eevee. Absol was waiting by their tree house when they left. They had long since been able to take off the bandages.

The group walked to the tree house, the sun was illuminating the sky in an orange glow. They arrived at the large tree house, the tension thick enough to be cut with a knife. The two Bisharp were still standing there diligently, but they offered no resistance. They slowly walked in, where Torterra waiting for them. It was time to figure out how to stop some disaster. It was time to learn how to become human again.


	10. Mountain

Chapter 10

Michael's POV

Michael followed his friends, as he watched the stupid swirling colors. Ditto had explained that there was no way to turn it "off" so long he had the energy. He could always tell what people were feeling. He could feel them in a sense, even though they did not affect his emotional state. Yet when he did not use any significant amount of power for a certain amount of time, he saw swirling colors representing emotions. He hated it. All the colors he saw from everyone was so annoying, not just because of how hard it made identifying colors right next to people.

Hannah emanated a slight purple, but also some orange, seeming to indicate fear and excitement respectively. Danny was mostly excited, as well as happy they might be able to do something else, emanating strong pulses of green and orange as his excitement hammered Michael's skull. He had not gotten used to the stupid, full time flood of others emotions, something Ditto was trying to help him with.

Rachael felt a light layer of fear she was focusing on shoving down. She was fairly good at it, too. She had always been prone to panic, but she could force down her emotions almost to the point where Michael could not sense them.

Absol seemed, for the most part, emotionless. Michael, though he appreciated it, was unsure as to why Absol even continued helping them. Every once in a while, when Michael sensed something from Absol, it was immediately shoved down by him.

Ditto was a completely different situation. His emotions could change at the drop of a hat. Generally, a happy green surrounded him when he was teaching Michael and his friends how to use their new abilities. When he was talking with another pokémon, he seemed somewhat grouchy. Sometimes Michael could sense him being angry or upset but always forcing it down even when he was teaching. Right now he was rather irritated, glowing his common pale red.

The tree was just as beautiful on the inside as it was the last time. Those lanterns Ditto had called dragonfire lanterns were still burning as brightly as before, casting their ethereal blue glow upon Torterra.

"Hello, young humans," he greeted in his wise, old voice. He was somewhat happy, sad, and afraid all at the same time. "I must apologize for Eelektrik's attacking you."

"D-don't worry about it!" Hannah declared, fresh, harsh fear wrapping her, filling Michael's vision with purple. She tried to put on a brave face. Michael knew this, but she was terrified. The event had probably scarred her mentally to some degree. She seemed to be in pain quite often, too. Michael was going to kill that Eelektrik if he got the chance.

He vividly remembered hearing Hannah scream as she was getting pulled under. He tried to jump in after her, but Ditto stopped him because of the electricity in the water. If he ever saw that Eelektrik, Michael would make **sure** he regretted what he did to Hannah.

"I have had some psychic pokémon build up energy. They are now ready to transport you to a place where you may be able to gain some closure," he explained bluntly. "A pokémon named Snowfire is the pokémon most likely to have some answers as to what has been going on with you, and the pokémon of the village."

"Snowfire?" Danny asked. This was the first any of them had heard of a pokémon with what must be a nickname that was not a trainer's pokémon.

"Yes. Snowfire is a Ninetales that lives up at the top of the Elemental Mountain. Elemental Mountain is not very tall, but it is somewhat dangerous, especially for humans."

"I remember Elemental Mountain from school. It's a mountain that has several different environments for many different kinds of pokémon, but it is impossible to teleport there with psychic types, and nobody has been able to climb it. Whenever someone tries to swim the water around it, the area fogs up, and he or she somehow get turned around. People can take pictures from far away, but they can't get past the waterbed, even if they are flying."

"Yes. Snowfire put a curse on the mountain, causing it to bring a heavy fog that turns humans around to protect the many pokémon there. However, because all of you have pokémon genes in you now, you should be able to make your way up to her. I had you learn some basic abilities so you have some means of defense if the pokémon there become defensive." Purple flooded Michael's vision as Hannah panicked, though she kept a straight face.

"Ditto will be going with you, as well as Absol, if he wishes to." Torterra continued. There was some anger and happiness at the same time coming from Ditto, as well as some relief. A little sadness leaked from Absol, but it was quickly forced down.

"But why… Snowfire? Why would she be able to help?" Rachael asked. Michael almost groaned. Why couldn't **he** talk yet? It was getting irritating, not being able to ask his questions, hence everyone stealing his thunder.

"It is my belief that whatever is affecting you four, be it a curse or otherwise, is what has been affecting the entirety of the village. I am not sure what is causing it, but it seems to be spreading like wildfire across the village, and getting worse. The psychic barrier we have put on the… virus, so to speak, is weakening. Have you four been struggling physically, mentally, or otherwise?" Torterra inquired.

"Well, other than Michael and I still changing, no. We've been fine. How've you been, Birdbrain?" Danny asked Rachael humorously.

"The only sanity I'm losing is due to the complex and well-though out names you've made up." She retorted, not even looking at him. "There were never any psychic types messing with my head, either."

"Interesting… so it seems to be weaker against humans." Torterra deducted.

"But what about me? I'm… not exactly human anymore." Rachael's sadness could have woken a Snorlax if they could sense emotions. Blue flooded Michael's vision, as everything blurred. He shook his head.

"Michael? Is something wrong?" Rachael asked, noticing his discomfort?" Michael shook his head, and gestured to the feelers on the back of his head: the source of Riolu's sensing abilities.

Rachael emanated a surprised yellow, as she forced down the despair she felt.

"Even though you are mostly a pokémon, have you not retained some amounts of your human self? Namely, your hair color and eye color have remained the same. You also seemed to have retained your personality instead of adopting that of a Starly's." Michael felt a small surge of pleasure from Rachael.

"Why do you want us to go?" Hannah asked. "No offense, we are grateful for all you've done, and we don't mind going, but why would you trust us with this task?"

"The pokémon here are uneasy. We currently are not letting any pokémon leave except for Ditto and Absol. We are going to try and renew the Psychic barrier blocking this strange virus of sorts, but it will take more effort on the Gardevoir healers behalf."

"Don't worry, Chief. I got 'em. I'll do it tonight at the base of the mountain." Torterra nodded.

"Very well. I wish you the best of luck. Ditto, will you be able to bring everyone back with you?"

"I might be able to get us close if I turn into a Hoopa. He's a minor legendary, so I won't be out for more than a day." Torterra nodded once more.

"Once again, I wish you good luck, humans."

Michael noticed Absol bound off in some unknown direction. He frowned. He sensed panic from Absol, as though he were in a hurry.

The psychics were waiting at the clearing. After they had all spent a few minutes grabbing their supplies, and Danny grabbing some lunch, (AKA, some Oran berries from one of the nearby bushes) they went to meet them, Absol already there waiting for them. There were five, total. An Alakazam, a Sigilyph, a Meowstic, a Reuniclus, and a Gothitelle. They formed a circle with no greeting. All of them were afraid and angry, though the emotions were dulled, like they were doing this out of obligation.

The group walked into the circle. "Close your eyes." The Alakazam demanded. Michael did as he was told, waiting tensely. He heard a _zip_! A fear unlike any Michael had ever felt surged through Hannah. He was about to react, but he couldn't move. All at once, there was a bright flash, the temperature changed, the wind speed changed, the ambience changed, but Hannah's fear could still shake mountains.

Michael snapped his eyes open, as the purple from Hannah flooded his vision. He could still make out what was frightening her though. He could see it plenty well. It was Eelektrik, the bright blue eel levitating as he glared at Hannah. Hannah was terrified, as she scrambled away from him, before tripping. She curled up into a ball, shivering.

"What the **hell** are you doing back in my sight?" Ditto shouted, as he transformed into a Tyrantrum, the mighty dinosaur towering over the Eelektrik, who just glared in response.

"What a weak human." He commented, looking at Hannah. "I'm here to… uh… Apologize to you. I want to join you guys on your travels." Ditto's eyes widened, as he let out a mighty roar.

"Are you **insane**? You think we would let you travel anywhere near her after what you did?" Rachael bravely commented, Eelektrik looking at what was a small bird to him mockingly.

"Hey you- uh… yes. It was… uh… wrong of me to attack you, but I need to go to Element Mountain. I'm sorry."

"You're freaking **mad!** You nearly got her killed! Now you want to travel with us? You're disgusting!" Danny shouted.

"Oh no. My feelings. You must be the bruiser of the group." Eelektrik quipped angrily. "Fine! I'll return home by myself!" He darted off in the direction of the mountain Michael just noticed. Eelektrik splashed into the waterbed.

The mountain was amazing. It was by and far the largest mountain in terms of sheer size Michael had ever seen! It wasn't as tall as some of the ordinary mountains that surrounded them on all angles. Those formed a large circle, each mountain reaching incredible heights, as if guarding the smaller, yet more special mountain in the center. A large lake surrounded it, easily several miles large. It would take them a while to reach the other end. The water was a sparkling blue, untouched by human pollution. Michael could sense a lot of faint emotions from down there, signifying it was indeed inhabited by pokémon.

"So… how are we gonna get across?" Danny asked.

"No _problemo, compadre._ That's all the Spanish I know… Anyway, I got this!" Ditto jumped into the water. A bright glow came from the water; before long, something large began to surface. The water splashed all over the group, getting everybody soaked. Danny's ears loped. Absol's expression didn't change, though Michael could feel a small, borderline unnoticeable amount of annoyance before he shoved it back down.

"A Wailord? Good idea!" Rachael complimented Ditto.

"Yeah! And it's a stage one pokémon, so it won't sap my strength!" Ditto's somewhat high pitched voice sounded strange coming from a mighty Wailord. Danny was chuckling, making that strange laugh Michael had heard a while back when the changes first started.

"Can you carry all of us?" Danny asked, trying to smother his laughter.

"Kid, or kit, I guess. Haha. Anyway, I can carry you guys until at least nightfall. Don't worry about me. Hop on." He lowered to the point everyone could easily mount him. Michael got on after Absol had jumped on, as he turned to look at Hannah, who was still on land.

"Are you coming, Hannah?" Michael shouted to her. She nodded, but instead of climbing onto Ditto, she freaking _jumped_ into the water. A moment later, there was an azure glow, and Hannah surfaced once more, this time with the Milotic tail. There was a surge of joy as green emanated from her. She loved being able to do that. She loved being able to breathe underwater. Michael watched her as she dove deeper and deeper under the water, until he couldn't see her anymore. The lake felt somewhat unnatural, given how deep it was so quickly, much like the one in the village.

He watched the water, looking for any signs of that stupid Eelektrik. Michael shivered as he remembered seeing Ditto pulling Hannah up onto the surface. He had apparently turned into a psychic type for a quick instant to call in Audino. Rachael had been in a full blown panic right after Ditto went to follow them. Once thirty minutes had passed, Rachael had started flying in circles to distract herself. Danny had been trying to keep morale up, constantly saying they probably found a cave to surface in. He also cracked a lot of ill-timed jokes that did not go over well with Rachael. Michael couldn't do much more than sit and watch the water as they had waited for hours, until finally, Ditto had surfaced with her.

She had been bleeding so badly. Michael was sick when he first laid eyes on her barely conscious form. He then saw the tail, which he didn't think too much about. He hoped nothing this…awful happened to any of them again. She tried to hide it, and honestly, she did a pretty good job of hiding it, but that Eelektrik had terrified her. Michael wondered if he had caused irreparable damage to her mind.

All it had taken was one pokémon, and Hannah had almost freaking died! It was terrifying. At least Michael and Danny had some form of defense, and to a lesser degree, so did Hannah with her Aqua Tail. However, what about Rachael? Ditto was never able to get very far into the training with using moves.

Michael had spent several hours trying to perfect his limited aura abilities. Riolu didn't have much power in the ways of aura, and Michael still didn't have all pokémon abilities. He decided to practice while Ditto was swimming. He held up his fist, and tried to guide the aura energy that made a Riolu's force palm.

When he had first tried it at his home, he had forced the energy to his hand-er… paw. This was why it had drained him so much. His energy was spread throughout his body, so he needed to only guide enough energy to his paw palm thingy in order to use the attack. He didn't want to force it up, or he would take energy from all over his body, rather than tapping into his reserve.

Michael let his extra aura power drain out as he glanced at Danny, who was lazily looking at the sky. He hadn't had much luck with illusions, though his dark-type moves such as dark pulse were getting better. They were up there with a Blissey's tackle.

Michael gingerly walked over to Danny, being careful not to slip. He sat down next to him. "What a day, huh?" Danny asked absentmindedly.

Michael nodded, and grunted in affirmation. "Still not talking, bro? I wonder why." Michael shrugged it off. "You can't fool me. It's killing you inside, and we all know it." Michael's shoulders slumped.

"Speaking of fooling… Rachael's been able to put up quite the act. I expected her to have four emotional breakdowns by this point. It's kinda impressive, really. I never took the birdbrain as an actor." He added with a wry grin. Rachael was sitting near Ditto's head as he instructed her on using moves. She seemed to be listening intently to his words.

Michael shook his head, unable to give a better queue. "Uh… she is not putting up a good act and is torn up inside?" Danny guessed. Michael shook his head. "Um… alright… she is permanently wrecked inside and is forcing it down to where it's hard for you to sense?" Michael shook his head again. "No way… does she actually enjoy being a Starly?" Michael's gave an ironic smile.

"Wow. Never thought Birdbrain would be the one to enjoy it. It must be the flying." Michael nodded. There was a loud chirp of frustration. 'Though given that, I'd say she isn't doing too well on the moves?" Michael shrugged.

"On a side note, did you know that alone a Zorua's body isn't strong enough to hold all the dark type energy that goes into illusions? I sure didn't. That's why you can always see a tail on a Zorua that has up an illusion. The tail is where all the energy is kept, and it has to be fed outwards. Since I don't have the tail yet, I can't really use illusions yet."

Michael nodded. He stared intently at Danny, still letting his force palm burn on his fist. He could still sense Danny's emotions, but the colors were starting to become less… prominent.

"What do you think of all this, Michael? I have mixed emotions about the whole thing, really." Michael shrugged. "Don't know, huh? The irony." Michael rolled his eyes.

"Do you think she'll want to turn back?" Danny was curious and worried at the same time. Michael thought for a few seconds. Would she? She was the type to analyze everything and act accordingly, so what conclusion would she reach? Would she choose to fly and be free, or to be with her family, and to have all the perks that came with not being a bird?

"Not sure? I'm sure we're all unsure about everything right now. I can see Hannah not removing the tail though, even if she could. Lucky bugger can still pass as human." Danny stood up and stretched. "Well, I'm gonna go give Rachael a tough time." Danny was smug as he carefully made his way across Ditto's back to Rachael.

Michael sighed, and looked around. In the very back, facing the other direction, was Absol. Michael found himself forgetting Absol was with them a lot of the time. Michael sat down next to Absol. It was irritating not being able to say anything, and Absol probably couldn't read, since most Pokémon couldn't, so writing was out of the question.

"Hello. Are you in need of me?" Absol deadpanned, not even looking at Michael. Michael blinked, and shook his head. Michael tilted his head, and gestured to Absol in an attempt to communicate.

"You wish to know how I am?" Absol guessed. Michael nodded. "I am alright. I'm keeping watch for that Eelektrik. It would not do to have him harm your friend."

Michael sensed no emotions behind his words. Why was that? Michael grunted, and gestured to the feelers behind his ears. Next, he pointed to Absol.

Absol was surprised for a short instant, but the little surprise he felt for that short instant was forced down. They were interrupted by a quick, panicked squawk from Rachael.

"Guys! Heads up! Incoming pokémon!" A large rock pillar shot upward from the water, the resulting wave causing Ditto to lurch sideways. Michael fell backwards as he lost his footing. He regained it a moment later, as he started searching fervently for their attackers.

Six pokémon were flying in pairs, each one focused on a different person. He charged his force palms in preparation. The two Skarmory focused on him shot flash cannons while diving towards him.

Michael let out a quick gasp, and dove out of one beam's way. Michael let out a raspy shout as the second beam slammed into him, as he was thrown backwards. Michael groaned and stood up, trying to ignore the pain. The Skarmory's wings glowed azure as they charged Michael as he lit his fists' force palm once more.

The Skarmory let out shocked squawks as Michael lurched to the left, hitting the Skarmory with his powerful punches, sending them crashing into each other. The two pokémon flailed in the air for an instant, before regaining their balance as the reassessed Michael.

They circled him, this time keeping their distance. Michael whipped his head around, trying to keep track of his opponents. One of the Skarmory was hit in the back by a powerful dark pulse from Absol, being knocked to the side. Michael tried to run to him, but was stopped by the other Skarmory when he felt an acute pain in his back from its wing attack.

Michael was knocked to his stomach, the Skarmory's talons dug into his back. "Don't try anything, human!" the Skarmory screeched, his metallic voice ringing in Michael's ears.

"Help me!" Michael heard Rachael shout. Michael could only watch as one of her attackers, an Aerodactyl, clamped his jaws around her wing, another Skarmory grabbing her in his talons. Michael saw Danny in a similar position as him, pinned down by a second Aerodactyl. Three Skarmory, including the one Absol shot down, surrounded, as they launched flash cannons towards him simultaneously, with a loud and bright explosion.

"Alright! We're out of here!" Ditto shouted. Michael felt himself falling, the talons detached from him. The next thing he knew; he was submerged in water. Michael swam to the surface, as he let out several rough coughs. The last thing he saw was Absol and Rachael being carried away before a bright purple flooded his vision.

The next instant, they were all in a cave. Michael coughed and looked around. The only source of light was a strange, large, glowing ring, with a purple vortex in it.

"A- alright… I'll heal your wounds, then I-I'll be out for a while." Michael heard Ditto slur.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help! I saw the rock pillar, but I was too late by the time I got there!" Michael heard Hannah shout apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Hannah… Where's Rachael?" Danny muttered as Ditto, in the form of a Chansey, healed them all.

"She…" Hannah's voice broke. "The pokémon took her and Absol…"

"What!" Danny tried to stand up, but his feet gave in as he fell back down. Michael felt everyone's sorrow magnify his own. He curled up. He felt everyone's sadness slam into his own, making him feel hopeless and sad beyond belief.

"N-now for rest…" Ditto blearily muttered before he felt his mind slip away into unconsciousness.


	11. Birds

Chapter 11

Rachael's POV

"Rachael. Wake up." She heard a voice deadpan. She groggily opened her eyes. Her wing was hurting her. She looked around. Absol was sitting right next to her, eyes alert and searching.

"What happened?" she asked. They appeared to be in a small cave, with a mixture of grey and brown stone walls, perfectly chiseled and smooth. There were little indentures in the walls where dragonfire burned; which was their only sources of light. There was a large doorway in one corner of the room. Rachael tried to walk that way, but was stopped when her foot refused to move.

She looked down to see her foot buried in a small mound of rocks, which were secured in the ground. She tugged at it, but the rocks didn't budge.

"It appears to be a makeshift shackle." Absol supplied. "I have one too." Rachael noticed his foreleg was caught in a much bigger mound of rocks. "They are very well secured rocks. A pokémon may have moved them here with stone edge."

"Did they only take us?" Rachael asked, forcing down her panic.

"It would appear so. Here they come. I'll follow your lead." Absol quieted, and stared straight ahead at the doorway. Three pokémon walked slowly in. At the lead was an Lairon, with a Skarmory and Aerodactyl behind him. The two bird pokémon stared diligently at Rachael and Absol, as if daring them to try and do something. The Lairon looked at them with some level of sympathy.

"Release them." Lairon demanded. The Aerodactyl glared at Rachael for an instant, then growled as his eyes started to glow a bright blue. Rachael had to force down a squawk of surprise as the rocks around her foot dislodged themselves and dug back into the ground.

"Do you have names?" Lairon asked, his voice surprisingly quiet, but firm.

"Rachael." She replied without thinking.

"So you are those humans' pokémon? That is your nickname?" He asked again. Rachael thought off the top of her head.

"Yes. And this is… Noctus." Rachael lied, gesturing to Absol, who stiffened slightly.

"Why do you look different than most Starly, brave Rachael?" Lairon continued. Rachael almost panicked. These pokémon would likely have a violent reaction if she said she was human.

"Well… uh my father was a shiny Honchcrow. His shiny genes passed black feathers down to me when I… hatched." She continued. "But because of it, my moves are all screwed up, to the point where I can't even use moves." She needed an excuse for her lack of moves.

"I have yet to hear of that ever happening, though I wouldn't put it past the phenomenon some of the shiny pokémon create. What village are you from? We can return you there as to those trainers." Rachael remembered Audino saying she didn't know most trainers had to be eighteen today. These pokémon must not know that either.

"My parents belonged to my trainer's father. I was given to my trainer as a present." Her lies were slowly becoming more sure.

"What's with your weird 'trainers!'" The Skarmory behind her screeched angrily. "They could use pokémon moves!"

"Hmm… yes. Brave Rachael, do you know why this is?" Lairon looked concerned.

"No… they never told me. They always looked weird like that." Rachael feigned fear. Lowering her eyes.

"We can liberate you from them. They have escaped from us for now, but we will find them. Then we can deliver punishment to them. Fear not." Rachael felt several things then. She was relieved they got away, but the idea of being "liberated" from them was mildly terrifying.

"What would happen to me and Noctus?" She asked, acting meek and fearful.

"We have different habitats for any type of pokémon here. Right now you are in the rock and steel habitat. We will take you to the flying habitat. Noctus will go to the dark, psychic, and ghost habitat, but he will be allowed to visit with you after a few days." Lairon continued.

"Why after a few days?"

"Because we don't need human lovers like you stabbing us in the back!" The Skarmory blurted angrily.

"Skarmory! Calm yourself!" Lairon retorted.

"Whatever."

Rachael didn't see any way out of this that would not arise suspicion. It would be best to play along until she could find her friends. "Okay. Thank you for your hospitality."

"No problem, young Rachael. Now Skarmory, guide our new resident to the flying habitat. I will have someone else guide your friend, brave Noctus."

The Skarmory was not very warm and friendly. He began to walk out the door, Rachael scrambling to follow him. The pathway was carved with similar stone to the room they were earlier in. Once the pathway opened up, Rachael gaped as she stared in awe.

It was beautiful. The entire cavern was the size of a small stadium. The walls were smooth and exact, creating a perfect spherical dome. They seemed to be made out of pure metal, dim reflections visible in the walls. The ground was made of hard-packed dirt, yet there were pillars of crystals of varying colors lining the walls. Stalactites and stalagmites made of red crystals hung from the ceiling and protruded from the ground, yet they were hollowed out in the middle, with a blue glow coming from it. The light from the crystals reflected in the steel walls and crystal pillars, lighting the entire cavern up in a variety of different colors. There were also smaller arches carved from crystals lining doorways of multiple sizes, and even some high up for bird pokémon.

"Close your beak. You look like an idiot." Skarmory snapped. Rachael complied. Now was not the time to pick a fight. There was no point in drawing the attention of the many rock and steel pokémon. Barely any of them gave Rachael a second glance. There were the occasional odd types here and there, but not as many as the rock and steel types. Rachael could see evolution lines of Geodude, Aron, Onix, Roggenrola, Larvitar, as well as many pokémon considered extinct, only found in fossils.

"Hurry up, Rachael." Skarmory demanded mockingly. He took flight, and started gliding towards one of the elevated doorways. Rachael followed suit, albeit in her far sloppier and unrefined way. The doorway they went through opened up very quickly, making it a lot easier to fly through it. The path was well lit with those crystal lanterns for the first while, but as they made their way through the varies turns and inclines, Rachael saw less and less of the crystal lanterns, in favor for stone lanterns similar to the ones back at Torterra's village.

After a minute of flying like this, there was a much more natural light ahead. Rachael welcomed escape from tunnel. The sky opened in front of her as Skarmory started taking a wide circle around the mountain. It was even more mystical than the far off view she had earlier.

The mountain literally looked like an element casserole. Different sections of the mountain clearly appeared to look like a completely different habitat. The entire mountain was not visible from Rachael's angle, for it was massive in ways Rachael had not before seen. Near the summit, it appeared to be a normal mountain, with a rugged appearance.

A slightly higher up, a large plateau that led into the mountain was covered with lush grass, flowers, orchards, springs, and other types of nature. She could only see a small portion of the mountain, so Rachael made a mental note to try and see the rest. It would probably take several hours to fly around to the other side of the mountain.

Rachael noticed where Skarmory was leading her. It was very high up, with cliffs hanging over the mountain, waterfalls, plateaus, and a surprising amount of trees, given its altitude. Once again, Rachael could not see the entirety of the habitat, but what she could see was strangely charming to her.

Rachael had to keep herself from panting as Skarmory and her landed on one of the cliffs. Almost immediately, a Fearow came to greet them.

"New kid. This is Rachael. She's your problem now." Skarmory snapped before anyone could say "hi." He turned and took off.

"Hello, little Rachael! Welcome to the flying zone! I know you'll love it here!" That perky voice was giving Rachael a headache. "We get humans' pokémon every so often when our scouts come back with some, so you won't be the only pokémon from a human!"

"Um… great. Thank you."

"We have a place for trainers' pokémon to live, though you'll have to be with a roommate! Follow me! I'll take you there, then your new roommate can show you around the town!" The Fearow quickly ascended, and Rachael, already tired from the previous flight, had to struggle to keep up.

Rachael hadn't seen much of a town when Skarmory was taking her. It was beautiful, but not exactly striking her as a town. The Fearow was leading her to a section where the rocks and plateaus were significantly higher. After they flew over it several minutes later, Rachael knew what was meant by "town" Enormously high "walls" surrounded the whole town, making it impossible to see from the far off landmass her and her friends had started at.

The town was incredibly intricate with a surprising amount of attention to both form and functionality. The ground, which was really just a collection of several enormous plateaus of varying heights, were mostly orchards of varying berry trees and bushes, which many bird pokémon were cultivating. Springs were ubiquitous, with several pokémon, especially Duckletts and Swannas, relaxing in the cool water, which was crystal clear and sparkling. Wooden scaffoldings poked upwards in many places, which appeared to be resting spots for the pokémon. They were all very large, with enough room for about a dozen different pokémon to have their own personal space.

The town stretched out for several miles. The side of the mountain is where the "houses" were. Holes of varying sized were in the mountain, but they had a certain order to them. They resembled something along the lines of a hotel in terms how the holes were aligned. They were all very orderly. There was about four feet of space between every hole. The corners had dragonfire lanterns on them. Intricate patterns were carved in each doorframe. They all had some variation of wings, feathers, wind, and other bird-y things like that.

Every doorframe was different in some manner. It must be how the pokémon kept track of which room was theirs. The keen eyes of a bird pokémon allowed easy differentiating of little things, so if you knew what pattern was yours, noticing it would be fairly easy.

They had to fly for about twenty minutes. In that time, they didn't even make it through a fourth of the town. The Fearow had chattered incessantly the entire way there. Rachael had paid attention at first, trying to gather what knowledge she could, but she couldn't help but tune her out when she basically did nothing but reiterate the point that Rachael would enjoy the village.

They finally reached what seemed to be the residential area for trainer's pokémon. Fearow led her through one door that seemed to be bigger than the rest. It led to a small room. The room had one large wall will red footprints imprinted in pairs on the wall. It seemed to represent which pokémon were in each room, for the prints were surrounded with a simplified version of each pattern surrounding the two.

There were several boxes that only had one footprint on them as to the two most had. "Hmm…. Let's see… Let's see… this kid has been alone for a while… I think that'll do! Dip your foot in this!" The Fearow pushed forward what seemed to be red dirt and clay. Rachael hesitated, but lightly dipped her foot in the clay, coloring the bottom of it a dusty red. The Fearow gestured to a lone footprint near the top.

"Um… I can't reach that." Contrary to what some television showed, bird pokémon could _not_ fly in place. She would run into the wall if she tried to fly up there.

"No worries, little Rachael! Here!" The Fearow held her wing down for Rachael to climb on. It was awkward, given Rachael couldn't set one foot down, but Rachael managed to climb on, using her own wing for support. Rachael stamped her foot next to the footprint Fearow gestured to, leaving her own footprint next to it.

"Wonderful! I'll take you there now! You can get settled! Your new roommate should be back there soon! You'll know the room based on the pattern. Let's go!" Rachael almost groaned. Her wings were aching from all the flying. Hopefully she could take a break soon.

Her room was very close to the top. The pattern surrounding it was a very elegant wing pattern, with feathers accurately carved into the wings. The wings were attached to a heart that had a small indenture with a miniscule amount of dragonfire in it.

"Alright! This is your new room! If you need anyone, you can find someone by waiting in the room where you were assigned your room! I'll see you and fly right over!" The Fearow quickly took off and glided excitedly to wherever her destination was. The pokémon here did not seem to be very strict. They left Rachael here without supervision, despite her strange appearance and background as a "trainer's pokémon." This could make it easier to sneak out when the time is right to find her friends.

The room was tidy. That's the first thing that came to Rachael's mind. There were two straw beds. One was slightly messy and scattered, yet self-contained, with little items on it. Rachael saw interestingly shaped crystals, a couple berries, and one small, red crystal with a small dragonfire hearth in it. The other bed was neat, with no sign of anyone having slept in it. Rachael assumed this would be hers for the time being. Clay pots of varying sizes, probably for storing larder, aligned one side of the wall. There was a wooden box next to her roommates bed full of more crystals. Rachael had a similar one, which was empty. Her heart broke a little when she realized she didn't have her book with her. It was still in the bag with her friends.

It would be unwise to leave right now. She knew nothing of her friends, or their whereabouts. The pokémon here would be suspicious of a lone Starly, never mind one looking as strange as her, flying around on her own. She also had little way to defend herself, given she could not use moves.

Ditto and her had been talking before the pokémon had attacked. She did everything he said in terms of how to use moves, yet the energy needed to use moves simply wasn't there. She had no way to fight and defend herself. Perhaps whatever turned her into a pokémon did not fully complete itself.

She noticed one more thing in the wall. A metal sheet, perfectly polished, showed her a clear reflection. She looked at herself. She had never been able to get a full view of herself, and she did look odd. The black feathers, which were the same color as her hair had been, spotted her face, neck, wing, and even her tail feathers were completely black.

It was generally fun to be a Starly, though mostly because she could fly. It was thrilling she'd never had that much fun as a-

Rachael gasped in horror. She didn't want to be human again! She _liked_ being a Starly! Rachael shook her head. This was crazy! She had to go to school! She had to keep learning if she wanted to be a pokémon professor! And yet, she'd learned more about pokémon than the entirety of her time in high school. Rachael shook her head. She had to become human again! She had to become human again! She had to become human again! Rachael chanted this in her head as she lay down in bed. She needed rest.

Rachael opened her eyes, and immediately flapped her wings backwards, sending her straight into the wall. There was a pokémon _right_ in front of her face. "What in the world!?" Rachael exclaimed, letting out an indignant squawk. It was a Fletchling. The Fletchling jumped back a bit at Rachael's sudden outburst.

"Are you new here? I don't remember you! Are you my new roommate? I haven't had a roommate in a while! I hope we can be good friends! What's your name? I'm just Fletchling!" Arceus this pokémon talked fast. What was it with talkative bird pokémon?

"I'm Rachael. Yes, I'm new here."

"Oh cool! That's an awesome name! You're lucky to have a nickname!"

"What's so special about a nickname?" Rachael asked.

"You really don't know? That's hard to believe!"

"I… uh…"

"Well it's an honor to have a nickname! They symbolize being liberated from a trainer! There are a lot of bad trainers, so they're a symbol of bravery!" This was not a very suspicious Fletchling. That was good. Rachael could gather a lot of info from her.

"Are there not good trainers out there that have nicknamed their pokémon?"

"Well sure there are, but we don't get very many of them here! To them, a nickname is a sign of a bond between pokémon and human. The queen of the mountain, for instance! Her nickname was given to her by a loving trainer!"

"I see. Thank you for the information. This clarifies many things for me."

"Wow! You sound smart! Are you a genius? You speak like a psychic type!" The Fletchling commented gleefully.

"Um… thank you. I never spent much time around pokémon until coming here, so I don't know much in the ways of… general pokémon knowledge." Rachael explained convincingly.

"Oh okay! That makes sense. Well since you'll probably be here for a while, I'll tell you anything you want to know! Like how we need to win the monthly tournament!"

"The what? Huh?"

"Every month there is a tag team tournament! The scouts never let children who haven't been in the top four leave. The wining pair fight each other for a grand prize, though the winning team gets a prize too. If we win, we can leave the town during the day to explore! I never won because I usually don't have anyone to team with. Everyone thinks I'm annoying. But you don't, right?"

"Not particularly." Sure the Fletchling was loud, but not annoying. It was clear she meant well.

"Does that mean you'll be my partner in the tournament? I promise I'm really super powerful!"

"I would… but I'm not powerful. I can't use moves." Rachael admitted. "My father was a shiny Honchcrow, and his shiny genes messed with my move energy pool, so I look weird and physically cannot use moves. Rachael lied smoothly.

"That's okay! We'll practice tomorrow! You still look tired, and it's getting late."

"That's true. Thank you for your kindness."

"No problem! Ooh! Want to see something cool? Promise me you won't tell anyone!"

"Sure."

Fletchling joyfully bounded over to her box, and dug around in it with her beak for a moment. The next moment, she came back, gripping something in it.

"This is my personal treasure! I've spent months on this!" It was a red crystal. The only thing different about it was its shape. It was made to look like a feather, carefully carved, though still somewhat rough. It was impressive though, given its attention to detail.

"You made this?" Rachael asked, incredulous.

"Yeah. I carve things with my beak. Sometimes I manage to find crystals in the flying-type caves when I go looking. Isn't it pretty?" Fletchling looked hopefully to Rachael.

"Yes. It is gorgeous. Are you carving something with that crystal that has the dragonfire in it?"

"Yeah! I managed to get my talons on it. I use peck to carve it! I'll show you how to some time."

"But I can't use peck."

"You don't need it; peck just makes it go faster. Anyway, let's go to bed for the night! I'm absolutely beat!" The Fletchling did not sound "beat." Regardless, Rachael returned to the bed.

At first, Rachael thought bird pokémon to be far too lax in their rules. Their methods made sense though. You had to train to be allowed to leave. You would achieve what you worked for. It was logical and surprisingly well thought out.

On the downside, Rachael had to win a tournament to be allowed to search for her friends. On the upside, she would likely have fairly free rein of where she could search. She needed more rest, though.

The sun rose, shining into the cave. The golden light woke Rachael up. She felt far more energized. She looked to Fletchling's bed. She was still sound asleep. Rachael looked out of the little cave. Only a few pokémon were up and flying compared to the number of bird pokémon that lived here. Rachael yawned. She may as well find something to do while she waited for Fletchling to wake up.

Rachael glided down to the berry bushes. She saw some Pecha berry bushes lined up in a long row, the Fearow that guided her here yesterday picking some, setting them in a bird-friendly basket. "Hey, Fearow!" Rachael called out.

"Hello little Rachael! Did you sleep well?" Fearow asked her.

"Yes. Thank you. What do I need to do to earn some berries?" Rachael asked. She was somewhat hungry.

"Get a basket and pick them. You gather what you want. Baskets are kept over there." Fearow gestured to the other side of the expansive orchard. "But as a welcome gift, you can have my basket!"

"Really? Are you sure? I don't mind picking them." Rachael insisted.

"I insist! I was going to bring these by your room either way!" Fearow continued. "Really! They're yours!"

"That is very kind of you. You have my gratitude." The basket was about half full, and looked to be the limit of what Rachael could carry either way. She took off, circling around to the basket. She quickly grabbed it with her talons, carrying it to her room. When she got there, Fletchling was still asleep.

Rachael settled down next to a bare wall on the side of the canyon. She slowly ate one of the berries. It was still awkward, eating with a beak, but she was getting better. The Pecha berry oozed a sweet, viscous, purple juice. Rachael sucked some of it with her beak. She figured there was quite a bit on her beak. An idea came to her mind.

She plucked a somewhat large feather from her wing. She used her talon to cut one of the Pecha berries in half. She quickly grabbed a small clay pot that was lying on the other side of the room, as she picked up one half of the berry and poured the juice in. Once the juice was squeezed out of both, she grabbed another berry and did the same until the small jar was full of berry juice.

She grabbed the feather, and dipped the feathered end into the juice, using it as a makeshift paintbrush. She was half decent at drawing manga as a human, so with some effort, she figured out how to move her head to draw with the feather.

As carefully as she could, she drew on the wall. She drew a Zorua, a Riolu, a Milotic, and a Starly, stroke by stroke. It was difficult, and took a lot of time, but she was able to draw fairly accurate pictures. Next to the trio of purple pokémon, she drew her friends. It was a bit harder to draw from memory, but she drew the key details. She drew Danny, with his skateboard and silly smirk. She drew Michael, with his kind eyes and warm smile. She drew Hannah, with her perfect hair, excited stare, and beautiful outfit. She probably spent a few hours on the drawing, but she was proud of it. If her friends ever made their way here, they could know she was here.

"Wow! You can draw?" Fletchling asked, amazed. Rachael jumped a bit. She didn't realize the bird was awake.

"Yes. I loved to read and draw when," Rachael caught herself. She was about to reveal her being human. "When… I belonged to my trainers. My father taught me to read and draw. I can even write a bit."

"Wow! That's incredible! I've never met anyone who can draw like you! I got an amazing roommate!" Rachael blushed a bit. As a human, she never attracted this kind of praise from anyone. "Well are you ready to train?" They flew from cave, as Fletchling guided her across the town. Rachael looked upwards, noticing some fully evolved bird pokémon watching them, perched on grooves in the mountain. There were also a few keeping watch on the few other basic stage pokémon. They must be the pokémon in charge of making sure children don't leave the village.

Rachael noticed a few structures. They appeared to be arenas. They were made out of the same light brown rock of the mountain, with openings to the sky, and a few perches in the arena for battle tactics should they be needed. The arenas were plentiful and large, allowing for plenty of mobility while still remaining in the arena. A few of the arenas had groups of pokémon fighting in them. Fletchling took her to one of the vacant arenas.

"All right! Time to spar!" That was the rest of the day. They tried different tactics and strategies for fighting other pokémon. Rachael had to rely on her flight skills since she couldn't use moves, while Fletchling would be the one using the moves to inflict damage.

At the end of the day, when the sun was setting, they were both exhausted.

"Wow! That was so fun! The tournament tomorrow will be a blast!" Fletchling declared exuberantly.

"Wait, its tomorrow?" Rachael asked, shocked. They were both perched in the arena.

"Yeah! We should probably get to bed." Fletchling continued.

"Okay. You go ahead. I'll be there after I get some more berries for dinner"

Fletchling happily flapped away. Rachael glided over to the berry orchard, preparing to grab a basket. This was until something sickeningly familiar caught her eye. In a dark corner, she saw sparks lighting up a certain Eelektrik watching her. She glared, and soared over to him, making sure there were some nearby pokémon she could call out to if it came to that.

"What are you doing here?" Rachael demanded.

"Hello to you too, brat. I'm here to help." Rachael glared.

"What can you do to help me? Why should I even trust you?"

"Because I know where your friends are, and can pass a message to them if you like." Eelektrik revealed.

"What's in it for you?" There had to be a catch.

"Well I can't make it past the fire-type wing of the mountain, which is needed to make it to the electric habitat. I can't get home alone, as much as I hate to say it."

"The pokémon won't let you past?" Rachael asked.

"Nope. The fire-types are not kind to 'outsiders.'" So do we have a deal? I help you find your friends; you guys help me get home."

"Where are they?" Rachael asked suspiciously.

"After you guys were taken, and your two human friends were wounded, Ditto transformed into a bound Hoopa and took them to an underwater cave system. I found them while I was trying to find alternate ways home. They're all asleep. I checked. It took a lot out of them. I think Ditto put them all to sleep so they could properly heal. Even that Milotic human had some fairly bad injuries… that weren't the ones from me!" Eelektrik continued. "Well that kid with the blond hair looked odder than he did earlier. I saw him several hours ago, and he slept all hunched over in a ball, with his hair looking different." This troubled Rachael. Danny must have been transforming further. On the other hand, Eelektrik must not have been lying if he knew that.

"Okay. Deal. Keep tabs on them and give me the news over the next few days. Tell them this, word for word. 'Birdbrain needs Kitsune Boy's help.' They'll believe you then."

"Fine, kid. I'll be back in a couple days. Sit tight." He seemed far more mellow. He turned and left for one of the caves on the ground. Humans… some pokémon hated them. Rachael always thought about the humans that couldn't get pokémon due to all the previous violence enacted on pokémon. She never thought about what the pokémon thought of it all.

Rachael hesitantly flew to the orchard. She would have to bet on Eelektrik for the time being. He was her best shot at finding her friends. She grabbed one of the baskets. She noticed the Cheri berry orchard was somewhat small, and there weren't many birds there like the Pecha orchard. Rachael flew over and picked enough for her to eat. She then picked enough Oran and Pecha berries for her and Fletchling both.

She noticed she picked a few too many. The basket was really heavy. She flapped her wings as hard as she could. She was able to lift the basket off the ground, though it was somewhat difficult. Within a few minutes, she made it back to her room. Fletchling was pecking at a purple gem.

"That took quite a while! Did you bring Oran berries?" Fletchling asked excitedly.

Rachael nodded. "I brought Pecha, Oran, and Cheri berries."

"You like Cheri berries? Usually only fire types like those spicy berries. They'll probably grow on me later, but I can't stand the spiciness. Those are all yours." Fletchling said, pulling out some Pecha and Oran berries with her beak.

"I figured as much. Hey. I have a question." Rachael admitted, pulling out her Cheri and Pecha berries to eat. "Why don't you think I'm weird? I look odd, I act odd, and I know very little about pokémon civilization."

"I think you're weird, and I think it's great!" Fletchling gleefully admitted. "Normal birds are so lame!"

"I see. Thank you for informing me. We should turn in for the night." Rachael said, as she finished her berries. She never really thought of it like that. Weird was always a derogatory term for her. She had been called weird, among other, not as good things. It rarely ever got to her, but this Fletchling acting as though she were totally normal, despite her clearly being out-of-place.

"All right! We have the tournament tomorrow in the bag!"

Rachael followed Fletchling the next morning. "They have a bracket with our room patterns all set up! I entered us in yesterday! There are thirty-two teams. We have to win four matches to be allowed to fly outside of the flying type mountain, and another one to win a really cool item!" Fletchling explained.

"What item?" Rachael asked.

"I don't know. But we'll both get one!"

"I see. Where do we go to see our opponents?"

"We'll go to the main stadium! They have a ton of seats there, then they'll split us up into the different arenas to battle another duo!"

As it turns out, the "main stadium" was just a significantly larger arena. It was about the size of three arenas. There were also more perches coming from the ground up to various heights. There were perches imbedded into the walls too.

There were several rows of high up perches behind the actual stadium, much like the seats of an ordinary stadium, except with the bird pokémon in mind. Several pokémon were already on them, most of them in pairs. Shiny pokémon were extremely common, given the rarity humans thought them to be. Extra precautions must be taken by the normal pokémon to ensure their special abilities remain a secret. Shiny pokémon would be in much more danger otherwise. Do shiny pokémon that managed to be caught hide their special abilities from humans? They must, for humans to never know about this.

Rachael and Fletchling sat together on one of the perches as the other children pokémon excitedly chirped about the matches.

"Attention!" Screeched a loud, metallic voice. It was a Skarmory. This Skarmory was shiny though, with green on their wings where the red usually was. It was not the same one that led her here. "The tournament shall begin! The winning pokémon will both receive a quick claw! You must make it to the finals to be allowed free roam of the mountain!" Cheers rang around the stadium.

"When you hear your group, head to the same arena! First up…" The Skarmory called out various groups, sometimes calling a pokémon name, and sometimes calling a nickname. It took a while, but eventually their name was called. "In arena nine, it is Rachael and Fletchling versus Sparx and Hydro!" Rachael followed Fletchling, who quickly flew off towards one of the many arenas. Two more pokémon were following them. They reached the arena, where a Tropius was waiting for them, likely to be the judge.

Rachael and Fletchling perched on one side of the arena. An Emolga and Wingull perched on the other side. The Tropius listed out some rules, which mostly involved trying to stay within the arena borders, though the goal was not to ring out, and once both pokémon were defeated on one side, it was game. Once a pokémon was knocked out, they must be left alone, and not hurt further. "Begin!" The Tropius shouted, flying out of the way.

Sparx the Emolga jumped onto Hydro the Wingull, using him as a means to get higher up. Fletchling charged towards Sparx, her body bursting into flames for a flame charge attack. Rachael noticed Wingull trying to fly behind and attack the distracted Fletchling.

Rachael charged towards him, grabbing his wing in her talon. She stopped flapping her wings, allowing herself to fall, which knocked Wingull of balance. He let out a squawk of frustration, as water shot from his mouth in a ray headed straight for Rachael. She snapped her wings open, gliding out of the way of the water gun. Hydro grunted and charged towards her at an astonishing pace. Rachael flew away as fast as she could, but she could feel the wind from Hydro on her tail feathers. Abruptly, Rachael flew upwards, looping upside down, now behind the Wingull.

The Wingull realized what happened, and tried to stop himself, but was unable to stop in time, running into the wall of the arena. While he was dazed, Rachael went to help Fletchling, who was struggling with the electric attacks of the Emolga. Sparx was latched onto the back of Fletchling, repeatedly releasing electric shocks. Fletchling was chirping in pain. Rachael shrieked, and rammed into the Fletchling between her intermittent shocks.

The Fletchling took this time to unleash a flame charge upon the dazed Emolga, who fell to the ground after the impact.

"Sparx is defeated!" Tropius shouted.

Rachael let out a squawk of pain as the Wingull rammed into Rachael with a quick attack, sending her flying into the wall. Fletchling let out a shriek of rage, and engaged with the Wingull, as both of them wrestled mid-air. Whenever Fletchling tried to use flame charge, Hydro blasted her with a water gun. Fletchling was tiring, so with her talons outstretched, Rachael swooped under Hydro and flipped upside down, grabbing his legs.

Rachael snapped her wings together, forcing Wingull to carry her weight or land. While he was slowed and distracted, Fletchling rammed into him with a quick attack. Rachael let out a chirp of surprise as she was dragged along, hanging upside down from the Wingull as Fletchling forced him into the wall.

"Wingull is defeated!" Tropius shouted excitedly. Rachael glided to the ground, shaking her head in a daze. A Chansey that must have been brought in for the tournament radiated a pink aura that soothed Rachael immediately; it also removed the headache being rammed into the wall caused.

The Chansey ran over to Hydro and Sparx, healing them after healing Fletchling, who was joyfully jumping up and down. "All right! One down!"

The rest of the matches finished up around that time as well. They didn't take very long. Once they were all concluded, everyone met back together at the main stadium. Rachael's next two matches went off without much of an issue. Despite both of the pokémon being capable of using attacks, they did not act truly as a team, instead disjointing their efforts and paying no heed to their partner in the slightest.

"And now for the semi-final matches! Golbat and Noibat versus Murkow and Ninjask in arena one! Riot and Fletchinder against Rachael and Fletchling in arena two!" Fletchling chirped in surprise. They would be fighting an evolved pokémon and whatever pokémon this "Riot" was.

They flew over to the arena and stood on one of the perches in anticipation. A Fletchinder and Skarmory perched on the other one. Unlike the other Skarmory Rachael had seen, this one was smaller, more like a child. The Fletchinder was likely that of an older teenager. There were many pokémon spectating, muttering as they stared at Rachael and Fletchling. Rachael heard some of them muttering.

"I have never even seen that one use a wing attack."

"She looks kind of odd."

"She only showed up a couple days ago from what I hear."

Rachael payed them no mind. A Pidgeot was the judge for them this time. He recited the rules as Fletchling tensely waited. Rachael tried to relax.

"Begin!"

Immediately, the Skarmory launched off the perch. His mouth glowed, releasing a flash cannon. Fletchling and Rachael closed their eyes and separated to avoid it.

Fletchling let out a cry, the Fletchinder chasing her with a flame charge while Fletchling used a quick attack to try and avoid the flaming bird, while nearly clipping the wall due to the Fletchinder keeping her from turning.

Rachael hurried over, only to be intercepted by the Skarmory, who started chasing her with a quick attack of his own. Rachael let out a cry as he made impact almost immediately, sending her into the wall. Rachael shook her head. She noticed Fletchling nearing her quickly, still being chased by Fletchinder.

Rachael feigned weakness, lowering herself with a tired expression. The Skarmory took this moment to help with Fletchling. Rachael waited until Fletchinder carelessly passed right over her while he and Riot tried to force Fletchling into the wall. Rachael flipped upside down again, grabbing the flaming bird's talons with her own, as the fire ate at them. She let out a cry of pain, but still held on. She pulled the left leg down, causing the Fletchinder to tailspin right into the Skarmory, sending them both flying.

Rachael flew upwards, Fletchling doing the same. While they were dazed, Rachael charged towards them. With a startled cry, Riot flew upward haphazardly, prepared to stop Rachael. She dove under him as he tucked his legs in to avoid what happened to his partner. Rachael heard a cry of pain as Fletchling barreled into him right after her. The two fire type attacks he had taken in a few seconds were too much for him, as he fell to the ground.

"Riot is defeated!" Shrieked the Pidgeot. The crowds gave startled chirps. Fletchling shrieked in pain. Fletchinder had hit her square on with a quick attack before Rachael could do anything, Rachael charged towards the Fletchinder currently forcing her friend towards the wall with a flame charge

Fletchling seemed to light herself on fire, startling the Fletchinder, though not hurting him much. Rachael took this instance of hesitation to grab his wings with her talons as she flew upwards, pulling him into a spinout. Fletchling hit the dazed bird with a quick attack after circling him, sending him quickly into the wall. He crumpled.

"Fletchinder is defeated!" The Pidgeot sounded almost as shocked as the crowd, who were astonished two basic pokémon had just defeated their opponents. Fletchling and Rachael landed, breathing heavily. An Audino came to them this time, healing them instantly. Fletchling started joyfully flying around the arena.

"Woohoo! Rachael! We did it! Maybe we can even win this whole thing!"

They got an hour to take a break. Apparently Golbat and Noibat won their round. They must be good. Rachael noticed Fearow flying towards them.

"Wow! You guys beat the semi-finals? That's amazing! Well let me just give you some quick rules for after the tournament. You must not leave the mountain. You must be back by sundown. Alert us if you see any humans, though that is unlikely." She was very serious about this. It made Rachael sad to think she would have to leave Fletchling alone.

The sun was starting to set when the final round started. The finals took place in the large colosseum, where all the children were perched, chittering excitedly. This is when Rachael noticed the first problem. The Noibat was a dark teal color. He was shiny.

The Skarmory was the judge for this round. The Noibat and Golbat were calmly waiting to begin.

"Begin!"

Rachael charged towards the two pokémon. They quickly flew upwards, staying close to each other. Rachael turned and charged them again. She flipped upside down and grabbed the Noibat's legs in an attempt to throw him off balance. She let out a cry when her back lit up with pain from the Golbat's wing attack. She held on though.

Fletchling used a quick attack on Noibat. Rachael let go, snapping her wings out to catch up to Golbat, who was chasing Fletchling. Noibat managed to free herself from Fletchling, while wings illuminated with a bright glow. Fletchling shrieked as she was launched into the ground from the sudden attack.

Rachael prepared to bombard him from the back, but he twisted to the side and hit her down with a wing attack before she could get close enough. Rachael quickly got back up Fletchling doing the same. Together they rushed at the Golbat, Rachael grabbing him by his feet, and Fletchling forcing him in the direction of Noibat. Fletchling forced Golbat into a reluctant Noibat, Rachael letting go and grabbing onto Noibat instead. She forced Noibat behind her as she used him as a means of climbing onto his back.

Rachael forced Noibat to fall to the ground as he slammed downward while Fletchling kept Golbat occupied. The Noibat forced Rachael up, and let out a screech from his ears. Rachael shrieked, as did most of the crowd. Noibat should not be able to let out deafening screeches like a Noivern could. His being shiny must allow him the amplified powers of a Noivern, as well as even more strength. While Noiverns could be deafening, it took about three seconds for Rachael to be dazed due to being so close.

Noibat quickly hit her with two wing attacks, sending her flying backwards. The world seemed muffled. She couldn't hear anything, and her vision was going fuzzy. She struggled back up, chasing Noibat to stop him from hurting an already struggling Fletchling. She was fighting mid-air with Golbat, but had trouble landing a blow as they circled around each other.

Rachael couldn't reach Fletchling in time, as Noibat charged up a wing attack, quickly knocking Fletchling to the ground, and turning around to hit Rachael once more. She slammed into the ground. The world was muffled. Her vision was fuzzy. Every muscle was screaming with pain. Fletchling was not moving. She must be defeated.

She used her wings to force herself up. She was once more standing. She took off, flying sluggishly towards her opponents. Noibat quickly retaliated with another wing attack. She let out a cry she could not hear. She fell again. She got back up again.

Her body was screaming for her to stop. She kept going. She flew towards them again, this time trying to dive under and grab Noibat's legs. She was hit again, this time harder. She was hit again. She was hit again. Every time she fell, she got back up.

She was hit again. She fell to the ground. She had never been in such pain, but she forced herself back up. She could've sworn she saw some red on the ground. She couldn't move her wings. She could not keep doing this.

No.

No.

She had to keep fighting.

She needed a way to make it up to Fletchling.

She needed to win this.

If she was going to abandon her newest friend to find her old ones, she needed to leave her with a gift. She needed to win this for Fletchling. She could not give up. She had to win. She needed to apologize to Fletchling. She needed to win!

She shrieked, strength returning to her bones. She felt stronger. She could hear again. She could hear the murmurs of shock and excitement. Her vision cleared. She could see the shock on her opponents faces. She felt stronger. She felt taller. The setting sun meant nothing as bright light flooded the arena.

She flew with more speed than ever. She flew directly to Golbat. He had no time to react. She grabbed his wing, and flung him into Noibat. She charged again, and drove them to the ground. They tried to get up. Rachael grabbed their wings, and with all her might, she drove them into the wall. She jumped onto one of the perches and grabbed the struggling Noibat. She flung him into his partner. They both fell to the ground on top of each other, unconscious.

"Golbat and Noibat are defeated!" Boomed the Skarmory excitedly. Cheers erupted from the audience. Rachael glided to Fletchling. She was waking up. "Did… we… win?" she asked.

"Yes. We won." Rachael answered. Her eyes widened.

"Rachael! You evolved! And your bleeding!"

"Yep…" Rachael collapsed, panting. An Audino hurried over to her, healing her and Fletchling instantly. She was still exhausted, though. She noticed the arena floor had some red smeared into its hard-packed dirt floor. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable.

She was now much taller than Fletchling. She analyzed herself. He wings still had their many black feathers, but the size, shape, and other feathers all matched that of a Staravia. She did really evolve. She still couldn't use moves though. She couldn't feel any reservoir of power Ditto had described.

The Skarmory flew to them excitedly. "And the winners of the tournament are Rachael and Fletchling!" he shouted. Cheers erupted from the stands. "I present to our winners two Quick Claw pendants!" With his beak, Skarmory put a pendant around both of their necks. They were small enough to not get in the way, but big enough to be noticed. Strung onto a well-made piece of rope, a cream colored talon was embedded in a piece of translucent blue crystal. It was well-chiseled, but also lightweight. The top of the crystal had the hole the small rope was run through. It must have been made in another part of the mountain, given the careful attention to detail.

Maybe this would make Fletchling happy. Rachael would have to tell her the truth in their room.

Fletchling was excitedly chattering about their victory as she stared dreamily at her prize. "Thanks so much for being my partner, Rachael! I don't know what I would have done without an awesome friend like you!"

"Yeah… Fletchling, can I tell you something?"

"Sure!"

"Can you keep a secret? It is very important you keep this a secret."

Fletchling donned a serious expression. "Yes. I promise I'll keep what you say a secret."

"Well… okay… just make sure you stay quiet… I'm…" Rachael hesitated. "a… a… human." She admitted, looking to the ground.

"W-what?"

"I wanted to win this tournament for you as an apology. I'm a human, and I need to find my human friends. We're trying to find Snowfire." With that, Rachael explained what happened. She gave every detail she could.

When she finished her story, Fletchling was surprised, but she remained calm. "W-wow. That explains why you had so many questions about nicknames and such… So… are you a nice human? I didn't know they existed. My mama hid me from her mean trainer, before I found my way here…" She trailed off.

"Can you draw yourself for me?" This surprised Rachael. She nodded. She grabbed some more of the berry juice. She spent several hours as the sun set drawing herself. Fletchling used her dragonfire gen to light the wall. Rachael drew until she had the best picture of herself she could draw. She finished, stepping back to look at what had been herself. The picture was not perfect, but it was as accurate as she could make it.

"You look nice." Fletchling commented. "Thank you for drawing that for me. When are you leaving?"

"Someone is looking for my friends for me. I'll leave when he finds them you won't tell anyone, will you?"

"No. I won't. You'll tell me first, right?" She seemed desperate, as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Of course."

"Okay… Thank you, Rachael. I didn't know nice humans existed."

"No problem. Consider that Quick claw my thanks to you."

"Yeah. Thank you so much… you'll come back, right? Even when you're a human again, promise me you'll visit me!" Rachael nodded, and embraced Fletchling with her wing.

'I've thought of a nickname for you."

"You… what?"

"Well you said nicknames come from humans, right? Well I've thought of a nickname for you. You can tell everyone you kept it a secret, if you want the nickname." Fletchling nodded, sniffing.

"What is it?' She asked quietly.

"Amicus. It means 'friend.'"

"Yes… Amicus… I love it… Thank you, Rachael." She cried quietly as night bathed the flying type city.

"Well, Amicus, let's go to bed." Fletchling nodded, still crying, as she lied down in her bed.

Rachael did the same. All she could do was wait for news, now.


	12. Illusions

Chapter 12

Danny's POV

The first thing that went through Danny's head was "I feel weird." He was sore all over, but "all over" was what felt weird. He blearily opened his eyes. It was dark, but he could see perfectly fine. There was no discernable light source, yet the grey figures of his friends were still completely visible. The darkness kept him from seeing any colors, though. They appeared to be in a large cavern, though there was no discernable exit. There was a pool of water at one side, which Hannah was in. She appeared to be in her normal form, with her head on her crossed arms outside the pool.

He couldn't clearly remember how they had gotten there. He recalled fighting some pokémon, but being overwhelmed, then seeing Rachael and Absol being carried away. He felt a sharp pang of terror at this recollection. She was captured? Was she okay? He would need to figure out where she was! He needed to figure out where _he_ was first, though."

Danny tried to stand up. The keyword was tried. His shape felt completely… broken. He tried to move his head, which was the only part of him that didn't feel quite as horribly off. It felt strange, but he was able to lift it up a bit. He was on his side, with his legs and arms sticking straight out in front of him. Strangely, his legs felt no strain from this weird position.

The realization didn't have a big "Oh my gosh" moment most people in the stories seemed to have. It started out as a suspicion, and over the next minute, he became more and more sure his transformation into a Zorua had completed. He didn't think "Oh no!" He thought a mere "Oh…"

His friends were still asleep. He thought he should try to walk. It took several seconds, but he was able to sweep his legs under him to where he was on his stomach. Slowly, he was able to stand up onto all fours. At this point, it had felt like getting on to hands and knees.

Things became difficult when it came to moving them. The legs moved like two elbows instead of a shoulder and elbow. The issue was, they didn't do what he told them to do very well. He tried to move his front leg up slightly. It jolted up, then back down. He tried to move it up more prominently, but it moved more forward, and up a bit further than he meant to. He tested all his limbs. None of them moved in quite the way he wanted them to.

He tried to walk, but his legs continued to move incorrectly. They went too far, not far enough, or back and forth aggravatingly. He continued trying to walk, but his legs continued to move in a horribly sporadic fashion. It wasn't like the actual movement of them was incorrect. It was more so like whenever he tried to move them, an invisible hand grabbed on and jerked them back and forth.

He tried to move them faster; to see if it would be easier that way. He started running. He was clumsy, but that was due to a lack of coordination. He was able to move his legs the proper amount when running, but had a harder time controlling them when moving slowly. Balance was still a general issue though. He would need to practice moving as a quadruped. The actual coordination of which leg to move became surprisingly easy after a few minutes. He was running around in a large circle, getting used to his new form for the next few minutes. He still had several clumsy missteps though, and for some reason, whenever he tried to walk, the strange jerking returned.

Danny shook his head. Maybe he would get better as time went on. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake the feeling something was seriously wrong.

Several minutes of practice later, Danny was sick of waiting for his friends to wake up. They needed to start searching for Rachael and Absol. He ran over to Michael, and nudged him with his paw. Michael began to stir, then stopped once more. Danny rolled his eyes, and nudged him harder. Michael rolled over.

"Oh come on! Wake up!" After charging his energy the way Ditto taught him; Danny forced some dark type energy to his paws. Unlike most element energy, dark type energy was stubborn, thick, and rigid, needing to be forced in the direction desired, rather than guided. It made dark types tire easily compared to most pokémon, but their attacks would be much stronger due to the more volatile energy. Michael, on the other hand, would be mostly protected by his fighting type energy he had been starting to build up since the transformation started.

Danny forced the energy to his paws, and slammed the ground, sending dark type energy to spread like a wave in a small radius around his them, passing over Michael. He shuddered as black sparks flew off him.

Michael gasped, jolting upwards and illuminating his paw with an orange force palm. The orange flame around his hand bringing a dim light to the rest of the cave, allowing for Danny to make out some dull colors. He glared at Danny.

"Hey, I won't dark pulse you if you wake up when I nudge you. Let this be a lesson! Can you wake up Ditto?" Michael shoved Danny with one of his paws, turning him to face Ditto. Danny still hadn't gotten used to seeing paws on Michael, who still looked more human than pokémon. Michael groggily stood up and stumbled over to Hannah, still asleep in the water. Dang, Danny would need to wake Ditto up himself. Danny trotted over to Ditto, who was currently in the form of an, er, shiny ditto.

Danny began to charge up his dark pulse.

"Don't even think about it, kid." Ditto snapped, his eyes still closed. "If you hit me, I'll blast you out of this cave, no portals allowed." Danny froze, and tried to gingerly set his paws down, only for one of his legs to be jerked backward and the other one forward. Danny hit the ground of the cave with his face, his paws unleashing a weak dark pulse, sending stabs of pain through his body. He let out a yelp of pain.

"Thank you for only barely hitting me with that. How did you hit yourself with that anyway?" Ditto asked snappishly, now in the form of a Clefairy.

"Hey, I went from biped to quadruped in a few hours, what do you expect me to do?"

"It's still incredible you managed to do that."

"Shush."

"Whatever. Let's get going. Is Hannah awake?"

"Kinda sort of…" came her groggy voice from the other side of the cavern.

"Well anyway, we'll need to find Rachael and Absol. Honestly I never expected this to happen…" Ditto admitted. Danny was about to respond, but was interrupted.

"AAAAAGH!" Came Hannah's sudden, desperate shout from the other side of the cavern, her voice bouncing off the walls. She hurried out of the water, and ran past Michael, trying to distance herself from whatever was in there. Danny and Ditto hurried over to her.

"What's wrong, Hannah?" Danny asked frantically.

"E-Eelektrik!" She started shaking. Danny didn't need Michael's emotion sensing powers to hear her fear. Danny narrowed his eyes. Sparks started zipping from the water, though they didn't seem to be very dangerous compared to regular electric attacks.

Eelektrik rocketed out of the water, sending water all throughout the cavern. "Oh, good, you brats are awake." Eelektrik levitated a few feet away from a very cautious Michael.

"What are you doing here?" Ditto demanded angrily, transforming into an Pangoro, towering over Eelektrik threateningly.

"I found you guys here a couple days ago. You must have been beat up badly if you only just woke up. Whatever, it made it easier for me to find you again. I came here sending a message from Rachael."

Danny glared at Eelektrik. "Really now?" He asked suspiciously. "Where is she?"

"She's in the flying type habitat in the mountain. It's a few hours' climb from the base of the mountain. She knew you wouldn't trust me, though."

"She's pretty on the mark with that!" Ditto snapped.

"She said, and I quote, 'Birdbrain needs Kitsune Boy's help." Eelektrik tried to not look hopeful. Danny remembered a conversation he and Rachael had what seemed like ages ago. Kitsune Boy…

"I… uh… well… I believe you…" Danny admitted. "But what exactly do you want with us?"

"I'll help you guys however you want, but in exchange, Rachael agreed to help me get home."

"Do you know where Absol is?" Ditto asked, trying to hide worry.

"Well if that Rachael kid was in the Flying Zone, I would bet Absol is in the Dark, Ghost, and Psychic Zone. That place isn't quite as… lax as places like the Flying Zone, though, so he's probably still there. I can get Rachael and bring her back to you guys, and we can meet up in the Normal and Fighting Zone. Deal?"

"Hang on, I'm following you if you're doing that!" Ditto demanded, stepping forward menacingly.

"Yes, because they'll be able to find and navigate Elemental Mountain, get into the right zone, and not get caught? Good luck with that. All of us go to the Flying Zone? Poor Absol. Just the Zorua kid? Well that's a good dark-type wasted. Just the humans? Because I can hide the human weirdos.

"I- uh… fine! Get the kid, and bring her to the Normal Fighting Zone!" Ditto conceded, glaring at the wall begrudgingly. "We'll help you reach the electric zone. That's where you're from right?"

"Yup. I'm gonna go fetch the brat and bring her there. Any chance I can get one of those wormholes?" Ditto rolled his eyes.

"You guys ready to go? Get over here please so I can stay conscious for the whole day." Ditto started glowing white as his form shrunk and distorted into that of the mythical pokémon Hoopa.

"E-Eelektrik… here you go…" Ditto muttered, pulling one of the rings off his horns. He threw it, as it grew in size, filling with a purple luminescent haze. Eelektrik hurried through the ring, vanishing quickly. Ditto threw the other ring outwards as the other one flew back to his horn.

"H-Hurry please!" He shouted, his voice strained. The purple ring was a foot off the ground. Hannah was the first to go through, followed by Michael. Danny ran forward and jumped through quickly, unable to merely step in due to being a total two feet tall.

His surroundings changed suddenly. One second they were in a dark, damp, cave. The next they were at the summit of the mountain. Ditto, still in the form of a Hoopa, appeared from the ring as well. Mid-air, he morphed into that of a Murkrow, falling to the ground, panting.

"A-alright… I wasn't like that for too long… I still have enough energy to maintain consciousness and this form… What's our plan?" He asked, still splayed out on the ground.

"Well… somehow Michael and I need to stay hidden but still make it up to the right zone…"

"Ugh! This wasn't supposed to be this difficult!" Ditto shouted, frustrated. The pokémon here weren't this… violent! Sure, we at the village aren't big on humans, but we don't perform coordinated attacks to try and 'neutralize' them! And why hasn't Snowfire done anything to stop it? This... just… I don't know…" Ditto ranted, putting his Murkrow wings over his face.

"When was the last time anyone actually contacted this place from your village?" Hannah asked worriedly.

"Uh… I think it was… a decade ago? We never had any sort of crisis like this one that gave us a reason to poke our head in." He admitted, his head still down.

Hannah covered her face with her hand, groaning. "No wonder," she muttered. "The pokémon abuse didn't get bad until about eight years ago. They've become more… prone to negative reactions since then."

"Oh, Arceus, you're right! We assumed all would be dandy since humans couldn't even reach the mountain… we never thought about the abused pokémon that could get in! Word must have spread like wildfire since it happened! I'm an idiot! It's all my fault!"

Danny shuffled his paws uncomfortably, unsure of how to handle his upset friend. "Hey, no worries. We knew it would be dangerous, just not this dangerous. There was no way for you guys to know. It's no skin off our backs." Danny comforted awkwardly, staring up the mountain.

The summit resembled an ordinary mountain, with brown and grey boulders stacked and piled firmly together. After roughly fifty feet, the terrain changed to be more natural, despite what one would expect. There were several plateaus covering the mountain at varying heights. Some of them went to nearly the top of the mountain. The only one with a visible environment was the lowest one down, which had many vines growing off of it, with some small waterfalls pouring into the large lake.

Further up the mountain, the coloration of the mountain continued to shift. That's not to say it was common, for each terrain took up a large part of the mountain, which had a diameter that must be miles. Ditto used his wing to point up to a particularly high area, with bright brown rocks, though that was the most Danny could make out.

"That's where I sent Eelektrik. He should hopefully be searching for Rachael there. The zone we're going to is on the other side of the mountain, which we can get to through the Rock and Ground Zone and the Fairy Zone." He explained, seeming to have made a full emotional recovery. He used his talons to etch a tiny map into the ground Danny paid no attention to as he trotted over to the waterside, taking the time to stare at his reflection through the rippling water.

He looked like a Zorua, but also like himself, in a sense. All physical traits pointed to the dark type fox, but his fur had ubiquitous blonde strands dotting it, much like his hair color as a human. His eyes were blue, much like both a Zorua's and his as a human, but the color was more blended in shades. The blue was mostly a bright, vibrant color except for the darker starburst coming from the pupil.

"Danny? Are you paying attention?" Hannah asked humorously. Danny turned his head to face her. She was crossing her arms with a smirk. Danny sighed; he could feel his ears loping again.

"Fine. I'll pay attention… maybe… from here on." He tried to turn around, but his right foreleg was jerked forward while his left blackleg jerked backward as well, causing him to trip, sending him splashing into the water. He let out a yelp. He tried to keep his head above the deep water, but his new form made it awkward. He flailed for an instant, before he felt something clasp the collar of fur around his neck, lifting him up.

It was Hannah, who was staring at him, concerned. He would've blushed if he could. His legs dangled below him and she held him with one hand above the water while he continued to drip dry.

"H-how did that happen?" She asked, surprised.

"I'm just clumsy. Don't worry about it." He assured her. "Now can you put me down, please?" She smiled evilly.

"Beg, boy!" She demanded. Danny's eyes widened.

"You're going to drop me in the water again if I don't, aren't you?" He asked, looking at the water below him in trepidation.

"Yup!" She cheerfully replied. Danny rolled his eyes, and attempted to move his paws in the typical puppy "beg" gesture. One paw jerked downward while the other jerked to the side wildly. Hannah looked concerned.

"Are you sure you're alright?" She bit her lip nervously, setting Danny on the ground gingerly. It was odd seeing her tower over him like that.

"Yup! Never better! Now let's go!" Danny demanded all-to-cheerfully. He was stopped in his tracks with Michael sticking his leg in front of Danny's path. With a deadpan expression, he gestured to himself, then Hannah.

"Oh… right…" Danny muttered, embarrassed. "How are we going to get around the whole human issue?"

Ditto smirked as much as a Murkrow form would allow him. "You're the Zorua."

"But… I thought a Zorua could only use illusions on themselves, not their environment," He recited, trying to make sure he remembered what Ditto had told him.

"Well they can, it's just… tiring to do it for long," he explained. "Just force the dark type energy through the tip of your tail, to who you want to cast the illusion on, all while focusing what the illusion should be," he continued, seeming to grow less and less confident in the probability of success.

"Alright then. Michael… You get a… um… Mighteyena! And Hannah, you get… uh… a Kirlia! Okay! Let's hope I don't screw this up!" Danny searched for the supposed reservoir of energy that should be in his tail. It took a second, but he noticed his tail felt… strong. It felt different from the dark type energy he could feel flow through him, but still of that nature. He focused his attention on Hannah, picturing a Kirlia in her place. He willed the energy there as he felt it literally drain from him. All at once, Hannah's appearance changed. She looked exactly like a Kirlia. Danny wobbled slightly, before righting himself.

"Woah… Nice job… this is odd. It feels like driving a robot suit or something rather than controlling a body… its odd…"

"Yeah, anything that touches the illusion will feel real, but any damage caused on others by it will fade away when out of range of the illusion. Also, you still have those Milotic antennae. They're pretty much your lifeline to your real body. Mess with those, the illusion is rejected." Ditto recited robotically, as though he had it memorized.

"Wait… what? What if they were… cut off or something?" Hannah asked nervously, gracefully shifting from leg to leg like a normal Kirlia.

"Well… You would pretty much fuse with the illusion magic… permanently." Hannah's pupils shrunk.

"Alright! The antennae stay!" Michael next!" She continued to shuffle nervously.

"Alright! Let's… do this! Woo!" Danny repeated the process with Michael, a Mighteyena suddenly taking Michael's place. The only thing not resembling that of a Mighteyena was two Riolu feelers hanging behind his ears.

"Wow, Danny. I'm impressed. Again." Hannah remarked, staring at the shocked Michael.

"Calm yourself. Danny, are you okay?" Ditto asked worriedly, watching the stumbling Danny.

"H-huh? Yeah! Never better! Lead the way, Ditto!" He put on a brave face and false bravado, and started trotting in Ditto's direction. Ditto reluctantly began a slow flight around the base of the mountain.

"I ringed us pretty close to the entrance, so keep calm and walk on." Ditto explained. He was right. It only took about ten minutes of walking for a gaping tunnel entrance to be visible. It looked like what you would expect an ordinary cave entrance to look like, with boulders supporting the walls; dragonfire lamps also aligned the inside of the tunnel, creating an ominous walkway.

"Fear us, Magus…" Danny muttered, almost incoherently. He felt like he had gotten hit by a bus, gone three days without sleeping, then had to run a marathon. Walking would lead to the odd spasmodic twitches, so he had to trot, which exhausted him quickly. The tunnel wasn't very long. It was a trek, though, due to the strain on Danny.

He hid his sheer exhaustion fairly well behind a peppy trot and forced happiness. Michael didn't seem to be noticing anything. Each leg felt like lifting a twenty-pound weight with a pinkie. He kept going, though.

The end of the tunnel opened up into a large cavern that looked pretty ordinary. It was large, with brown, rugged walls. There were grooves in the walls where dragonfire burned, lighting the whole room up in an eerie blue glow. The room was massive, with many tunnels of varying sizes aligning the floor and walls. There were a few dozen pokémon in the room of varying types, but the majority being rock and ground types such as Trapinch or Geodude.

"While rock types can be found in what is known as the Steel Rock zone, so many hung out in the Ground Zone they added rock to the name." Ditto explained quietly as they traveled. None of the pokémon seemed to pay much attention to them, aside from a few odd glances at Hannah's antennae and Michael's Riolu feelers. They may have dismissed it as some deformity in the pokémon itself. It's not like having antennae would lead someone to say "They must be humans!"

The walk was uneventful. It took maybe half an hour to make the half mile walk to the other side of the cavern. "Okay," Ditto started. "When we reach the Dark zone, don't ask questions. I'll lead the entire thing. We'll need to find Absol, but if I were to guess, I'd say he is still in confinement.

"Confinement?" Hannah quietly asked, still elegantly prancing along the pathway.

"Yeah. I've heard of the Dark Zone from a few of the traveling pokémon that have come from the mountain. They aren't very common, but we've had a few. Anyway, they're far stricter and untrusting. He's probably in some sort of cell."

"Ah… okay… So how do we find him?"

"By finding the cells." He supplied quickly

"And how is that done?" she seemed skeptical.

"Luck." Hannah face-palmed.

"So basically we have no plan whatsoever?"

"Hah. No. You just won't like it." He continued forward merrily.

"That had better not mean what I think it does."

"What'll you do if it does?" He asked sarcastically.

"Can't you at least transform into something else stronger than a Murkrow?" Hannah's voice was shaky and frightful.

The rocks slowly gained a purple tint as they walked through the tunnel, and little indentures caved in the walls gave out light. Despite not being able to see that high, Danny assumed it was dragonfire. He kept trotting, but it was getting more and more difficult.

Suddenly, he was filled with a searing pain. He felt like he was being burned alive while inhaling smoke. He let out a yelp, and collapsed.

"Crap! Michael! Grab him!" He fuzzily heard Ditto command, with his voice still hushed. He felt himself being draped over Michael's illusion. Huh… they must be physical in the sense that they could be touched… Danny focused all of his energy on maintaining the illusions as they ran. It still hurt incredibly just maintaining the illusions, but doing it while he was burning was more difficult than anything he had ever done. He felt his limbs go numb.

Time was completely irrelevant as they continued running. He had no idea how long he'd been doing it. All at once, the pain stopped, but the exhaustion remained. He stayed still, unable to move any further without losing focus on maintaining the illusions.

"What is this? Who are you?" Danny heard an emotionless voice command, though he wasn't facing the direction of the voice.

"Greetings. We are here to help this little one. We found him outside the mountain." Ditto supplied, just as emotionlessly.

"Really now?" The voice seemed skeptical. "I've never seen you three in my life. We shall tend to the child later. You must confront the chief before that! Ask no questions and follow me!" Danny blearily was able to watch his surroundings.

It was dreary. The entire area was a cavern with grey rocks darker than storm clouds. Many leafless trees with twisted blue bark aligned the pathways. They seemed to be more decorative than anything. On the branches of the trees, as though hung there by a string, were purple orbs levitating mid-air. Ingrained in the walls were a few small doorways. Thanks to Danny's superb vision, he could see a few dark type pokémon in the rooms, but aside from a few clay pots, there was nothing else visible in there.

Many psychic and ghost type pokémon were visible in the large caverns, but not in any of the rooms, though Danny could see many of them phasing in and out of walls. Dim sunlight barely lit the cavern. Ahead of him Danny could see another door opening that Danny guessed led to a plateau, though no pokémon seemed to be entering or exiting that way, currently. Any pokémon in the room were glaring at the suspiciously.

Everyone followed whoever their unkind guide was obediently. Danny felt slightly better than he did a few minutes ago. He no longer felt as though he was burning, though he was still completely exhausted and had to work incredibly hard to retain the illusions.

Danny felt Michael tense up as the fur on Danny's neck pokémon outward like a dandelion. Something resembling purple lightning shocks continuously jolted between two odd, pointed stones. They resembled the bars of a cage, for there were pokémon remaining motionless behind them. The pokémon one would expect to see in this Zone were calm, anxious, and anything in between, while some pokémon from other zones were also in some of the cages Danny could see. Perhaps this was their prison for any misbehaving pokémon, as it were.

Then Danny noticed Absol. While they had passed a few of them, no Absol seemed to pay Danny any mind, and nothing struck him as familiar about them. But as they walked, Danny could just see, and strangely enough, smell something familiar about the Absol they were passing. He was staring intently at them, and he nodded ever so slightly to Danny as Michael walked tensely by the cage.

Then they were led to what Danny assumed was a cage. The pokémon leading them was actually an Espeon, who stood dutifully, gesturing with their tail for them to go through a small opening in the electric bars.

That was when things went crazy. Where a Murkrow once was, now stood a Lucario. Michael abruptly sprang forward, knocking Danny off, right into one of the electric bars. Alarmed cries rang out as Michael and Hannah suddenly emerged as the semi-humans they were.

The Espeon lunged at them without a second thought. Michael lit his fist in an orange energy, punching the Espeon backward mid-air. Ditto, as a Lucario, shot an aura sphere to some of the strange stones on the top of Absol's cell. A bright explosion lit the cavern, attracting even more attention.

Absol sprang out of the cage, grabbing the barely conscious Danny with his mouth and throwing him onto his back. They started running. Ditto kept away any dark-type pokémon with homing Aura spheres as they attempted to stop the intruders. Whenever any psychic or ghost type pokémon appeared, Absol warded them off with dark pulses from both his paws and mouth.

Despite the numerous fearful pokémon in the cavern, only a few seemed to try and confront them as they ran. A blue Bisharp was one of the pokémon that decided to confront them. The gauntlets on his arms had long, glowing spikes protruding from them. Ditto tried to keep his distance from the melee attack, launching a powerful aura sphere quickly.

Rather than getting hit, the Bisharp held up his glowing gauntlet to block it. The Aura sphere was completely absorbed by it, turning it a bright orange. The Bisharp then charged towards Absol, who leaped over the Bisharp, landing by sending a dark pulse through the ground, throwing the Bisharp off balance.

Ditto ran closer to the Bisharp, a large, glowing, bone shaped staff appearing in his hands. Ditto jabbed at Bisharp with it, who jumped to the side, retaliating with his orange gauntlet, swiping it along Ditto's shoulder. Ditto grunted as the wound started to bleed. Michael let out a cry as an Alakazam hit him in the back with a powerful pysbeam.

Absol, after handing Danny to Hannah to hold, ran to assist Michael, throwing another dark pulse into the ground while Michael used his force palm to keep the Alakazam occupied. Ditto charged up another aura sphere, this time a larger and slower one. Bisharp held up his white gauntlet to absorb it, digging his feet into the ground to prevent momentum from throwing him back. He let out a sharp shout of pain as ditto landed a direct force palm to his back.

The Bisharp collapsed under the power of the super effective attack, while Michael and Absol had incapacitated the Alakazam long enough to keep running. They reached the doorway that led to open air.

It was a complete dead end. The plateau was large, but it was a complete drop-off, with water being far below. Danny felt Hannah's grip around him tighten.

"Guys, jump. Keep your legs straight and together. Pokémon are more resistant, so we'll be alright." Hannah's voice was level, making what she said sound oddly rational. Michael looked terrified, while Ditto laughed.

"Hah! Insane! I love it!" Yet there was a certain edge to his voice. "I'm still beyond exhausted though, so I can't change out of this form."

"It's fine. I'll figure it out." Several pokémon were backing them to the cliff edge. Hannah turned around, still clutching Danny, and leapt off the cliff edge. Danny felt himself falling for a few long seconds. Danny noticed Hannah glowing the bright blue she did before transforming.

Pain radiated through him as water flew up his nose, choking him. The last thing he felt before losing consciousness was being pulled further under the water.


	13. Fire

Chapter 13

Eelektrik's POV

Ugh! Where were they? Rachael and him had been waiting for half the day! The Normal Fighting Zone was open to the sky, with a light gray rock, which resembled that of marble, made up the majority of the mountainside. Unlike most of the zones, which used the actual mountains for housing, the pokémon here built their houses out of carved tree wood. The grass was lush, with beaten paths leading in many different directions. Trees, while not near as common as they are in the Bug and Grass Zone, were still somewhat common, though they were apparently right below something Rachael called a tree line, whatever the heck that was.

Meanwhile, Rachael was pacing around the small cave opening they had found to hide in. It'd be stupid and suspicious to loiter around all day, so they hid. Rachael left every few minutes to fly around and look for signs of her friends. The Normal and Fighting Zone was much smaller than most other zones due to the much warmer temperature and many of the normal and fighting types belonging to a second element with a different, usually more comfortable area with which to live.

Finding the brat had been surprisingly easy since she had actively been searching for him. He found her almost as soon as he entered the zone, the two of them leaving almost immediately. He was only able to recognize her thanks to her black feathers, though. She had apparently evolved while he was gone, though how that happened, and how she got that strange claw pendant she refused to share.

"I don't understand why this is taking them so long… do you think something happened to them when they went to get Absol?" She fretted for the hundredth time, shuffling her wings up and down nervously.

"Kid, for Arceus' sake. Like I said, I'm sure they either A: made it in then had Ditto ring them out, and now he has to rest. B: Ditto made a big show out of it, and a few of them need to rest. Or C: need to find a safe way to get two humans up a mountain of human-hating pokémon." Eelektrik recited, circling the cave walls.

"Then I'll go search for them again," she unfurled her wings, edging to the cave entrance. "Kid, you just went searching ten minutes ago. I'll come too. Let's at least make it look like we're picking berries from the bushes." She nodded, and they left for the fields, which were at the bottom of a large hill on the plateau. It was too warm to grow them elsewhere due to the nearby Fire and Dragon Zone.

It was a rather large orchard, but not as large as the one Eelektrik saw at the Flying Zone. They also had much less variety in their berries, seeming to grow mostly sitrus and lum berries. The end of the shrubbery was where the Bug Grass Zone began, with an abruptly dense foliage of lush trees climbing over the highest point in the Normal Fighting Zone, despite being much lower.

Eelektrik and Rachael cautiously picked a few berries from the unpopular cheri berries. They were very well-liked by the fire types and electric types, but for some reason, the bird kid seemed to like them too. She happily ate a few while scanning the entire mountain, yet managing to be nonchalant about it. If only he could act as calm as she could, everything would be so much easier.

Eelektrik noticed Rachael freeze as she gazed intently at the forest.

"Something up?" Eelektrik asked, trying to be calm, though he was already sparking from excitement. He stared in the direction Rachael was, though he couldn't see much. Her vision had to be considerably greater than his, though.

He had watched for several more seconds before he noticed slight motion coming from the forest. Rachael's face lit up a moment before Eelektrik was able to make out the shape of two humans and some other Pokemon.

"Rachael? Rachael!" Hannah shouted, though her voice was kept quiet. She ran right by Eelektrik without so much as a glance as she went to hug Rachael. Maybe she was finally starting to get over the "incident." "Thank you, Eelektrik!" Eelektrik flinched at the unexpected gratitude.

"Uh… y-yeah. Don't mention it." He stuttered, averted his eyes. "What took you so long?"

"We had to hide in a water cave for a while so we could all recover a bit. We're okay, though." Hannah informed.

"Um… Hannah… are you holding Danny?" Rachael asked awkwardly. Eelektrik noticed Hannah was holding an unconscious Zorua in her arms.

"Yeah. Danny strained himself getting helping us get Absol out. The fairy energy from the Fairy Zone didn't help either. I see you evolved! Awesome!" Rachael seemed embarrassed.

"Yeah. It's a long story we don't have time for." Michael, Absol, and Ditto in the form of a Servine cautiously watched from the covering of the trees.

"Yes, anyway!" Eelektrik interrupted. "How do we plan on getting through the Fire and Dragon Zone to reach Electric Zone? And don't say you'll just fly right up to the Ice Zone. It's protected with a special barrier as a last resort just in case some humans somehow fly through. The only way there is through the Electric Zone, which is past the Fire Zone."

Ditto smiled. "I think we all know there is no way we are sneaking past them. Let's fly by them right into the Electric Zone!"

Michael gave a few nervous coughs while Absol sat down with a deadpan expression.

"How would we do that?" Rachael asked, shuffling her feet. "Even though I evolved, I doubt I'm strong enough to carry anyone."

"What's the most powerful non-legendary winged Pokemon you can think of?" Ditto asked, looking pensive.

Michael tapped Hannah on the shoulder, making some weird gestures with his hand. He patted the dirt, first.

"Um… ground?" She guessed; Michael nodded. He then made a flying gesture with both of his paws.

"Flying?" Michael shook his head. "Dragon?" Michael nodded eagerly.

"So… ground dragon type? Ring any bells, anyone?" Rachael's face lit up.

"Oh, a Flygon! That would be an excellent choice since he can learn a few rock type moves and he resists fire!" Ditto smiled wider.

"Perfect! Rachael, can you fly on your own? I'll have to carry two humans, an Absol, an Eelektrik, and a Zorua. I can do it, but we'll need some help taking care of the Pokemon." Rachael nodded nervously.

"Y-yeah. I still can't use attacks, but I think I can help."

"Wonderful. Let's do this!" Suddenly Ditto morphed into an unusually large Flygon. "Hop on and hold on tight!" Hannah unzipped the biggest pocket of that huge backpack and put Danny gently in it. It was large enough to hold him comfortably, and she left a small hole to allow him air. She blushed.

"I don't have a better idea, okay!" She declared to the skeptical Michael. He rolled his eyes, mounting Ditto like one would mount a Rapidash. He used his legs to gain a tight grip on Ditto, while Hannah was right behind him doing something similar.

"I fear Eelektrik and I may have difficulty staying on," Absol admitted, with a slight amount of nervousness in his voice. Hannah smirked.

"Let's see what else Danny packed…" She mumbled, opening up the smallest pocket of the bag. She found a long, coiled rope that made Eelektrik nervous.

"Eelektrik, how tightly can you hold onto a rope?" Hannah asked while unraveling it.

"If I electrify and magnify it, I can hold on almost indefinitely with my mouth." She smiled, holding up the middle of the rope.

"Absol, can I cut this on your horn?" He nodded, as she used Absol's sharp horn to cut it quickly. "Alright, so we can tie Absol's two back legs to Ditto as well as a separate one for Eelektrik!"

Absol quickly hopped onto Ditto, with his front legs in front of Ditto's wings, and his hind legs behind them. Hannah dismounted, wrapping Absol's legs in rope, tieing them firmly to Ditto. She then tied the other rope the same way, except with one large knot at the end of the line to help with grip.

Eelektrik sighed, grabbing on to the rope with his mouth, sending electric shocks through it, as the circulation kept his grip firm. Hannah remounted.

"Ready?" Ditto asked them, turning his head to face them. Everyone nodded. Eelektrik could only watch as the ground disappeared below him. He heard Hannah let out a yelp of fear. Eelektrik had never flown before, and it was mildly terrifying. He managed to use the electricity from the rope to keep himself from flapping in the wind like a flag, but it was still difficult. He watched Rachael fly up to them, trailing them deftly. For a human, she was decent at flying, though if what she said about not being able to attack was true, she had to be a dud in fights.

The fire types and dragons noticed them immediately. Four Pokemon charged them all at once. Elektrik saw a Charizard, a Talonflame, a Salamence, and a Dragonite. They all looked furious.

The Talonflame lit himself on fire with a flame charge, quickly passing their other attackers. Ditto launched a dragon pulse that Talonflame dove away from. Ditto veered too sharply to the left nearly throwing the humans off his back. Eelektrik could feel a blazing heat where Ditto had once been as dragonfire flooded his vision.

Eelektrik could only watch as the Talonflame drew nearer and nearer, until suddenly, Rachael dove underneath him, flipping upside down. She did something Eelektrik couldn't see, yet the Talon flame spiraled out of their way, falling quickly to the ground with Rachael.

The three other Pokemon fired flamethrowers simultaneously, the wall of burning doom reaching them in seconds. Ditto responded by flying upwards quickly, letting out a short yell of pain as the flames graced his stomach. Eelektrik let out a terrified shriek as he felt himself falling. The flames must have burnt up the ropes!

Eelektrik closed his eyes, unable to do anything to hold himself on. He felt a sharp pain in his tailfin. He twisted up to see a struggling Absol gripping his fin in his mouth, keeping a weak grip on Flygon.

He suddenly heard a loud cry of pain from Michael, though nothing seemed to have hit him. He was hunched over, breathing deeply.

"No! It's his transformation! It's hurting him!" Hannah shouted desperately, though she sounded winded, even over all the howling wind.

Flygon barreled to the right, throwing Eelektrik into Absol, twisting them to the side, making him lose his balance. He started slipping. Eelektrik watched as a blue paw twisted itself onto the ropes still entangling Absol's legs. Michael looked strained, though he continued tangling the cord around his arm, so Absol stayed securely on Ditto. His eyes squeezed shut, while Hannah did her best to keep him steady, though she was also hunched, and appeared to be breathing heavy, much to Eelektriks bewilderment. Eelektrik scanned the grounds since he was dangling backward.

Rachael was flying upwards to help them, apparently having defeated the Talonflame. She landed heavily on the assaulting Dragonite's wing, tearing her talon through the thin membranes, then yanking upward, causing the Dragonite to spiral out of control as well. They quickly flew past them, Rachael abandoning the occupied dragon to assist with the Charizard. This time, she landed on his tail, using her wings to fly to the right, pulling his tail out of position, causing them both to start falling.

Eelektrik's heart skipped another beat as dragonfire from the Salamence scorched his side, missing by half an inch. Ditto continued flying upwards. Eelektrik saw the Salamence quickly closing in on them.

"Throw and catch me!" Eelektrik shouted to Absol, who was struggling to maintain his grip. He immediately used any strength he had to throw Eelektrik upwards, as he unleashed his most powerful thunderbolt attack, which directly hit the blue dragon, causing him to stop mid-air. Eelektrik felt his tail be caught once more by Absol, who used his horn to launch a dark pulse in the direction of the Salamence, though he effortlessly dodged, making a quick recovery.

Rachael caught up with them, apparently having used her unique strategy to incapacitate the other two attackers. Suddenly, Hannah slumped over, quickly losing her balance on Ditto. Michael grabbed her leg with his arm, jamming it to his side, barely keeping an unconscious Hannah on board.

"It's the altitude! She can't take it!" Rachael shouted, grabbing Hannah's shirt collar with her talons, flying upwards in an attempt to balance her. "Ditto! Time to go down!"

"Hang tight! We're almost to the caves! Eelektrik! Give me directions to some safe place!" Elektrik did know a place, but Ditto would have trouble getting there as a Flygon. Rachael quickly flew to the Salamence, using the same strategy as before to twist his wings awkwardly, giving them time to descend. She caught up and grabbed back on to Hannah right as they approached the caves.

"Left! Right! Up! Left!" Eelektrik called directions to Ditto, who quickly flew in the expansive caves. After several more directions, they reached a small, yet deep lake.

"Its and underwater lake! Transform into a water type and follow me with the others!" Ditto turned into a Floatzel, grabbing onto Hannah and Michael, while Rachel grabbed the life preserver around his neck. As a last minute thought, Rachael zipped the backpack all the way, to keep water from reaching Danny. Absol seemed fine with swimming on his own. It wasn't far.

They all submerged, Eelektrik faintly sparking to allow light. They swam for about twenty seconds until Eelektrik suddenly swam back upwards, everyone intaking deep breaths all at once as they reached Eelektrik's cave. Rachael quickly grabbed the bag and dragged it a safe distance from the water. She unzipped the bag. The Zorua kid fell right out, still sound asleep and relatively dry. The bag must be able to resist water. Ditto transformed once more into a Flygon, gathering some loose rocks. He arranged them in a circle, then lit the ground with dragon flame, bringing more light than Eelektrik could provide.

The cave was just how he left it. The odd, blue, magnetic walls made it easier for him to move any way he wished, while his few possessions remained untouched. This was a lesser-known cave, after all, and he didn't allow anyone to know where it was until today. There was a small spring with drinking water, some chiseled makeshift boxes with metal items in them, most of which boosted electric type powers. A small blue, water droplet shaped stone still glittered in the box when he checked its contents. It was a mystic water he found, which boosted the power of water type moves. He grabbed it, wrapping it around one of his fins.

Michael continued to groan, laying on his stomach in agony. Everyone else that wasn't unconscious was exhausted. They all decided to rest.

Eelektrik didn't know what time it was when he woke up, but he heard the sound of sloshing water. His excellent vision allowed him to make out Hannah, who had her legs dipped in the water. He hovered over to her. She turned to watch him warily, though she didn't seem to be as terrified anymore.

"Hey," She greeted in a whisper. "Thanks for helping us."

"Uh… I'm only doing it to get home." He quickly answered, trying to shut down the praise.

"How did you get to the forest village, which is so far away from your home, anyway?" Hannah asked, watching him curiously.

"I need a thunderstone to evolve. I'm sure you know that." Hannah nodded. "Well in the Electrik Zone, you need to earn those. I was outside the mountain, doing patrol. It's one of the more dangerous jobs, but you get far more recognition for it. A trainer found me and caught me, though."

"Oh… I'm sorry," Hannah awkwardly comforted. Eelektrik snorted.

"Don't worry about it. Well, I lost my water typing for a good while thanks to that idiot, and he gave me a stupid nickname." Eelektrik wasn't sure why he was telling her all this. He never got this buddy-buddy with anyone.

"You're a water type?" Hannah asked, surprised.

"It's what being shiny does for me. That's why I can breathe underwater. But those stupid pokeballs take away any shiny abilities."

"Why is that?" she asked, dragging a finger through the water pensively.

"Shiny Pokemon get their abilities from their more fine-tuned connection to the natural energy of the planet. When a Pokeball catches a Pokemon, it turns them into data. Even when they're let out, a small part of them stays data to keep them linked to the Pokeball, which throws off their connection with the energy."

"Huh… that explains it…" Hannah muttered. "What was your trainer like?" Eelektrik snorted again.

"He was a moron. He knew next to nothing about battling, though he wasn't too rough with me since I'd fight back, he would regularly harm his other Pokemon if they lost a match. I got away from him eventually, though." Hannah gasped.

"Th-that's horrible!"

"Yeah. I have this nickname, at least. I don't tell it to anyone, but they serve as a badge of honor, as it were, for Pokemon who escaped humans."

"Can't they mean good things?"

"If they were given by a decent human, I suppose so." Eelektrik waded into the water carelessly.

"What was the nickname?" She asked. Eelektrik debated for a moment whether or not he should tell her.

"It was… Lolectrik…" he conceded after a few seconds.

"Lolectrik… you should keep that name. It's a nice one. Consider it a nickname from me, if it helps." Eelektrik froze.

"Why don't you hate me?" He asked suddenly. "You know everything I did to you, yet here you are, giving me a nickname, despite the scars all over you."

"I used to be scared of you, but I can't blame you for what you did. I mean, I am a human, after all."

"Then allow me to apologize formally… please…" He begged. He couldn't stand being in debt. He unraveled his mystic water pendant from his fin and set it one the rocks in front of Hannah.

"Here." He bowed his head. "I'm… I'm sorry." Hannah scooped up the item, putting it around her neck.

"I accept your apology. Thank you, Lolectrik." Arceus, he was glad she wasn't one of those people who never wanted apologies.

Lolectrik.

Lolectrik.

He hadn't gone by that name in years, yet here he was, using it again.

Lolectrik.


	14. Cold

Michael turned the corner of the odd tunnels with Noctus and Danny following closely behind him Danny was moving at a slow trot. The caves had a blue tinge to their fluorescent walks, making his cobalt blue fur even more vibrant, hiding some of the brown hairs more effectively. His odd new tail dragged behind him, pinned down by the weight of his treasured red jacket, tied around his neck like a cape.

None of the trio had spoken much. Danny was currently warring with depression and his usual optimism. Absol- no, wait. Rachael said his name was Noctus now, based off what she had called him on the fly while with the bird pokémon. He seemed to like being called that, so it stuck. Noctus had mostly kept his cool, aside from a single flame of anger he kept contained yet never put out.

Michael didn't know how he felt. As they walked, drawing few stares from the many electric type pokémon, despite what had happened, Michael reflected on what had happened in such a short hour.

Once again the group had been separated. Hannah had been doing better since fainting while flying on Ditto. Apparently, her semi-complete transformation had adjusted her body to lower altitudes; suddenly being so high up strained her. It wasn't until they left cave number fifty that everything went wrong.

They had been sneaking through the electric zone. Eelektrik had known the best ways to make it out of the cave, yet they still got caught. At whose fault, Michael was not sure. They had been sneaking along the blue stalagmites, making satisfactory progress. Eelektrik and Danny disguised as an Electabuzz were able to reduce the chances of Hannah being noticed since she was the most conspicuous. The general darkness of the cave did well to hide Danny's tail as well.

A Pikachu had noticed them. Actually, she had noticed Eelektrik.

"Eelektrik? Is that you?" She definitely sounded feminine, and her excited voice squeaked slightly. Eelektrik looked surprised to be recognized.

"P-Pikachu. It's been a long time."

"How have you been? I was worried sick about you! I don't remember this Electabuzz! Where did you find him?" The Pikachu was bouncing up and down as he spoke.

"Uh… This Electabuzz goes by Danny. The trainer that captured me treated him poorly, so we both escaped." Danny waved nervously to the Pikachu, who continued his excited bouncing without missing a beat.

"You were caught by a trainer? Wow! I can't believe you escaped! This is great!" The Pikachu suddenly froze as a much larger Raichu, looking worn down by age, towered over her.

"Eelektrik." He simply stated, while, at the same time it had sounded like a question and accusation.

"Ch-Chief."

"I hope you brought it" Eelektrik flinched and looked surprised.

"B-brought what?"

"Proof you're not some human-lover."

There was a pause. A long pause.

"Yes. I did. I brought a… prisoner."

Michael, Ditto, Hannah, and Rachael, and Noctus, who had been hiding behind the large rocks, froze. Yellow surprise had flooded Michael's vision along with the shock that accompanied it, making him dizzy.

The stalagmite splintered and shattered, sparks flying everywhere, making Michael's fur stand on end. Both the Pikachu and the Raichu froze, mouths agape.

Hannah's emotions. It was a whirlpool of betrayal and anger, with surprisingly little fear.

"Lolektrik…" Hannah's voice was broken.

"Petty human!" He spat, suddenly lighting himself with sparks, a yellow bolt flying her way.

Hannah screamed. It was a scream of sheer agony. When the shock was done, Hannah was curled into a ball, sparks curling over her as the paralysis held her immobile. Ditto, who was still exhausted, mustered the strength to transform into a Hoopa once more, yet his ring was barely big enough to fit Hannah through. He quickly picked her up with surprising strength and practically hurled her through the portal, purple sparks shooting over him and Hannah in the process. He groaned.

"G-get to the summit… I have Hannah…" With that, he struggled through the portal, but just before it closed, Rachael reacted. She shot through the portal, purple sparks flying through the room, being conducted by the walls. Then Rachael was gone, and the ring vanished.

"Alright! Time to go!" Danny suddenly shouted. Eelektrik seemed to feign betrayal at Danny's words.

"Where did your human go, Human-Lover?" He spat, no longer hesitant in his actions.

"Peace out!" Suddenly, Danny's blue eyes shifted to a blood red. Eelektrik, Raichu, and Pikachu's eyes suddenly lost focus on the group.

"Where are they?" The Raichu shouted in rage. The team took this chance to flee. Danny stumbled, so Absol ran, picked him up quickly and ran. Michael trailed behind quickly. He must have been using his illusions to make them invisible, but it seemed to be straining him.

They ran. They ran until there were no other Pokémon to be seen.

It was not long until Danny was able to move on his own. Despite his comedic panting, however, he kept up a steady trot. Michael only wished he could speak, to fill the silence. Yet, for some reason, despite his transformation being done, he could not. He could say "Riolu," yet he did not know how to put meaning behind the word. It was frustrating and… terrifying. Michael did not expect Noctus to be the one to break the silence.

"Danny. You are exhausted. Why are you still trotting?"

"Because I like it!" There was slight fear. Michael rolled his eyes and nudged Noctus. He narrowed his eyes.

"You are certain?"

"Yup!"

"I find that hard to believe. Walk."

"Nope!"

Noctus lurched in front of Danny, cutting him off. Danny let out a small yip and tried to stop himself. He quickly tripped, landing on his face with his tail sticking upwards. He tried to force himself up, yet stumbled again. His ears lopped in defeat.

"A little help?" he sighed, suddenly barraging Michael with a melancholic azure of sadness. With great grace, Noctus used his mouth to grab Danny and set him onto his back. A yellow surprise and pink embarrassment swirling together in a strange chaotic harmony.

Danny tried to change the subject. "How come you're so willing to help us? You don't owe us anything, Noctus." Slight surprise emanated from Noctus.

"I owe you my life." He simply answered, remembering the Pangoro that attacked.

"You've already more than made up for that. What do you guys think was able to do that anyway?"

"Whatever it may be, it seems to be attacking the minds of pokémon, causing their psyche to-

"Totally go down the pipes!" Danny interrupted suddenly.

Absol faltered. "Er- yes, though what I was going to say would have likely been more eloquently put than that…"

"Whatever. Eloquence Smeloquence."

"There has to be more of a reason for you helping us, though. Seriously. Why are you helping four random humans you stumbled across?" Danny's tail slowly moved from side to side in his curiosity.

"I am concerned about my mate." Danny nearly fell off Noctus' back in shock.

"You have a mate?! Is that who you went to when you kept vanishing in the village?!" Absol, hiding a somewhat offed feeling behind his emotional wall. Michael smothered something that would probably resemble a laugh.

"She is a Mightyena. She is kind and outgoing, always being happy with kind words for someone. She is excellent at assessing a situation, knowing when to be energetic and peppy, or calm and collected."

"She sounds nice." Danny was still at a loss.

"She is to have kits soon." Danny actually did fall off Noctus this time, hitting the ground with a light thud.

Noctus picked him up once more and set Danny on his back. "Wow. That's cool."

"Yet if something were to happen to her, both she and the kits will be in danger. I must not allow that. I cannot idle by and wait for someone to solve this issue when I can offer my assistance, no matter how small it is."

"Well, we're glad to have you."

"Thank you, Danny."

Michael walked behind them awkwardly. He desperately wished he could offer his opinions.

"Anyyyyyyyway…" Danny masterfully segwayed. "it's getting chillier. How much further until the Ice Zone?"

"Perhaps an hour, if we continue to make good time."

And they did. Any pokémon they did pass game them no more than a passing glance or a simple "hello." As they continued to move, the cave got chillier and chillier. Frost crept up the walls of the room and puffs of steam made up their breath. Thankfully, their fur kept them relatively warm in the frigid cave.

The Ice Zone is white. That's the first thing Michael thought upon exiting the cave. Snow fell gently to the ground from a gray cloud that seemed self-contained to the icy area. Pale brown rocks were carved into the bases of beautiful ice sculptures. Michael's eyes were immediately drawn to one of a Froslass, with a beautiful purple gem encasing dragonfire lighting it up from the inside. The gem must have kept the heat from the ice, as the ice was still perfectly formed.

Another statue, with a Weavile, had a hearth matching a very dark navy blue. The statues continued in this fashion, forming an elegant walkway. The group, awed into silence, continued down the path.

The walkway took up a ten-minute walk, eerily silent. Then Michael saw a human. A sculpture of a human towered over the group intricately carved down to the smallest detail. He was wearing medieval clothes that you'd see at a Halloween party. He was holding a sword over his head that had a long rod of blue dragonfire encased in sapphire lighting it up.

In front of it sat a large, silver Ninetales.

"Welcome, fair humans, and brave Absol." She greeted in a kind yet stern tone, not moving an inch. Her fur was a lustrous silver and white, while the blue dragonfire case an azure glow upon it. It was silky smooth and perfectly well-kept. Her tails alternated in their shape, though.

Four of her tails were the smooth pattern of a standard Ninetales, while three of them were more rugged, yet still retaining their straightforward and pleasant appearance. The tuft of fur between her ears was also less smooth and combed, much like her three odd tails.

"Your majesty…" Noctus returned, stretching his forepaws in front of him in a bowing gesture. Danny tried to imitate it, yet somehow managed to stumble and lose his balance. Michael awkwardly tried to bow as well, though his tail stuck outward awkwardly. The Ninetales chuckled.

"Please. Snowfire will do. You have my respect for managing to reach this place." Noctus started talking.

"Your Majesty… We have traveled from far away to request your assistance in dealing with a certain crisis." Noctus informed.

"Oh dear… right to the point, are we? Please, tell me from the beginning. I apologize for making your arrival such a hassle. Lowering the barrier to allow you to fly in… none of the citizens would appreciate that, after several years of peace."

"Why couldn't you stop all the pokémon from attacking us?" Danny interjected, still as a statue. Michael elbowed him, causing him to lose his balance one again. He let out an "oomph."

Snowfire sighed again. "My apologies. I attempted to do such once I heard word of humans making their way here. I knew something must have been different if you could surpass the lake barrier. Unfortunately, I have inadequate power over the several Zones here. I provide protection, ground rules, but the rest is governed by each zone itself."

"Oh… okay… so… you want to hear our story?" Danny changed the topic oh-so-skillfully.

"'Tis an excellent idea. Come, let me take you to my seer and we may exchange tales."

Her "seer" was actually a Xatu, who remained perched at the very top of the mountain, with the clouds looking like a hole was punched in them, letting through a dim ray of sunlight fall upon him. It was currently sunset, the lake at the bottom a mix of orange and red. There was not a single sign of urbanization anywhere in sight. The mountains extended into the south and east, with a coast to the west and the endless forest to the north. The air was more fresh than anywhere Michael had been before. It was as though humans had never existed. Behind him sat an ethereal blue wisp of fire, cackling softly.

"Greetings, fair travelers." The Xatu greeted without even turning to them. "Queen Snowfire has guided you here so that we may hear your story." He said it like a statement instead of a question.

"Er… yeah." Danny answered anyway, clumsily sitting down. Noctus sat down without a word, and Michael slowly got down to his knees, unable to say a word.

"Please," Snowfire started with a warm smile on her face, emanating a welcoming green. "tell me of how you reached this place, and what has led you here."

So Danny did. Danny outlined how everything started, their meeting with Noctus, traveling to the village, the mountain, and their trips through the zones. He left out the parts about Eelektrik, though. Michael didn't blame him.

When he was finished, Snowfire smiled bitterly. "I see… thank you for sharing your story with me. If you wish, you may ask anything about me or my mountain." Michael thought for a minute. He gestured to Snowfire with his paw in an attempt at communication. Snowfire seemed momentarily confused.

"I believe your friend said you are unable to speak, yes? You wish to know why I look like I do?" Michael nodded slowly.

"I see. Well, in that case, think back to the statue of the human I'm sure you saw. That was my partner. His name was Athalos. He lived nine hundred years ago, as a noble knight. He found me as a newborn kit." Michael saw Danny stumble with surprise, probably thinking something to do with her being so old. Not that Michael would point that out if he were even able to.

"My father was an ordinary Ninetales, while my mother was one of the snow Ninetales from a far off region, adapted to the colder weather as a fairy and ice type. It just so happened I was also born as a shiny pokémon. It is because of that that I have lived far longer than most of my kind."

"I see," Noctus began. "My apologies for your loss of your human, Queen Snowfire."

Snowfire smiled warmly once more. "You need not feel sympathy for me. We have more pressing issues to worry about than a centuries old loss. Xatu?"

The Xatu did not turn, yet his voice was crisp and clear. "I can see it. I know the calamity that awaits, should the world continue on its current path. Human-turned-Riolu, please, perk your ears this way." Michael stiffened slightly.

"I have for you, a prophecy." Michael heard Danny snort at the cliché-ness of what Xatu just said.

Xatu did not move as he gave his poetic prophecy to Michael.

"Oh three humans, with food not meant.

A trifle to eat, your normality spent.

A single human, closer than home

A single human, left all alone.

A mistake made, a man not in the know.

Seeds of destruction he may sow."

It didn't really sound like a "prophecy." That's the first thing to cross Michael's mind. Given Danny's shaking shoulders and green amusement, he probably thought the same thing.

"Something we ate? Why only three of us? Four of us turned into pokémon… kinda." Danny stated, confused.

"That is all I can tell you. I used my psychic abilities to imprint the po-prophecy into the Human-Turned-Riolu's mind. He may remember it whenever he wishes." This was odd, because Michael didn't feel anything unusual, yet he could recall what Xatu said correctly.

"But… Michael can't talk." Danny was confused, yet there was a certain amusement behind his words.

Xatu was flustered for a moment. "Uh… Well, he shall have to take part in your human habits of writing it down, perhaps." Michael nodded and motioned for Danny to be quiet. He rolled his eyes and gave a lopsided smile.

"So… this is all due to a single man? He's causing this odd virus?" Noctus asked quietly.

Snowfire nodded gravely. "It would appear so. Xatu?"

"I see it… All psychic types can see it. It is a parasite attacking the minds of pokémon, yet it is unfinished. Every minute spent waiting is another minute where this virus becomes closer to completion." The monotone voice somehow managed also to be dark and foreboding.

"Then… this same thing is what turned us into pokémon… but why?"

"It attacks the brain. From what I gather, the virus is relatively quarantined for now, but that is what happened as a result of you coming into contact with it. It passes through physical contact, but it will soon become airborne."

"Great. This is all well and good, but how do we stop it?" Danny snapped, shuffling his feet sporadically on the rock in an attempt to hide the purple fear pulsing off of him and hammering itself straight into Michael's brain.

"This is where I come in," Snowfire interjected, smiling again. "You three are familiar with the Ninetales curse?" All three of them nodded warily.

"It's where if someone touches one of your tails, you curse them for a thousand years, right?" Danny assured, still incredibly nervous.

"Precisely. Human-Turned-Riolu. Please, lay your paw upon my tails, brush your paw across them all." Michael flinched and desperately looked to Danny, begging him to ask her what he couldn't. Why?

"Um… I think Michael wants to know why you say that, and whether or not it'll torture him in one way or another." Michael nodded his head quickly, nervously taking a step back.

"Fear not. I can bend the curse to my will, depending on the tail you touch. When you brush your paw across all of them, I can do virtually anything, including helping you. Michael hesitated again.

"What do you plan on doing?" Noctus asked in an attempt to alleviate Michael's fear. "And why Michael?"

Snowfire hesitated. "Xatu had a reason for giving this information to Michael. That means it is him who needs this ability. I will make you a curse. A curse for you to give to someone else. I know it sounds awful, yet it is the only way. You will gain the ability to fire one shot of a curse that will manifest as an aura sphere. You must make sure you know clearly who is behind this all, and that you will not miss. Do you understand?" Michael gaped. He needed to… curse someone?

"I know this must seem like a tall order, but I know you are the one capable of doing so. The curse will not last one-thousand years. Rather, the curse will conform itself to the punishment you believe fit. Are you willing to bear this burden?"

Any time anyone else has been put on the spot has nothing on this sudden question. Michael didn't really think about it. He just nodded numbly, stepped forward, and brushing his paw across all nine of the tails that Snowfire had lied out for him. They were soft and smooth and felt like silk.

It felt… odd. All at once, he felt a strange energy rush into him. It was like a lump in the middle of his chest. He could feel it physically there. It wasn't painful, just unusual. Then again, his entire being felt odd, so he would adapt.

Several hours later, long after Xatu had teleported the threesome to their other friends, he stood there, analyzing the futures carefully. Snowfire walked up to him slowly.

"Are you sure it was the right thing to do, giving him an odd riddle? Could you not have just told him the truth?" She sat down, watching the beautiful, cloudless night sky.

"I don't know," Xatu admitted. "I can only hope I chose the right path for time to take. He never alerted his father of his transformation. Had he done so… perhaps we could have avoided this all. Had I told him, he might break. Yet the course I chose… I see so many futures for him. Very few of them end positively. At this point, we can only hope."

Snowfire nodded. "You know that Zorua human thought your 'prophecy' was utter hilarity, right?" She smirked.

"Definitely could have worded it better. I made it up as I went."

"The rhyming was impressive if that's the case."

"Go get some sleep, your majesty. I shall keep watch over the futures."

Snowfire nodded and left to her cavern.

"Human-Turned-Riolu… I hope I have not just condemned you to misery…"


	15. Truth

Me: Hey guys! Raven here once more! Another chapter! Woohoo! Brightclaw, glad you've been excited! Anon person, I'm afraid this chapter probably won't cheer you up any more…

I feel it is fair to warn you this is the chapter where I earn the T rating instead of the K10 one. It is nothing graphic, though, so no need to fear that.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 15

"Seriously? A prophecy?" Rachael mocked from a tree branch above them. Michael had spent the last ten minutes trying to write it down on his notepad.

"Oh three humans, with food not meant.

A trifle to eat, your normality spent.

A single human, closer than home

A single human left all alone.

A mistake made, a man not in the know.

Seeds of destruction he may sow."

Danny's shoulders bounced as he spoke the prophecy. Rachael couldn't help but agree. Of all things for it to be, it had to be a prophecy. Ditto had just teleported them all back to the village and was now resting. Michael just set the pad of paper down in front of them, then lied on his stomach back on the dew-covered grass. His tail stuck up awkwardly, and he looked beyond exhausted.

Hannah was kicking her feet behind her in the lake next to them. Her arms were crossed, laid on the grass, supporting her head. She had been trying to avoid movement, as Eelektrik's betrayal and the attack had reopened most of her wounds from the last time.

They had been hiding in a small surface-level cavern just outside the mountain while they waited for word of the others. Once Xatu had teleported them back, Ditto teleported all of them back to the village, but it had left him drained.

Absol was currently with his Mightyena mate, so it was just them musing over this paper. Rachael was on a tree branch, looking down to the sloppy writing. She had to admit, not needing glasses was pleasing, and she was able to see better with her Staravia eyes than she ever had as a human. It still hadn't gotten old.

"Alright… so… let's start from the beginning. Why do you think it mentions only three humans when there are four of us?" Rachael began the train of thought, hoping the others would board it.

"Well… Hannah didn't start transforming until long after we did. Maybe that means she got it some other way?" Danny proposed, lying down on the grass.

"That would make sense, but when would she have gotten it?" Rachael traded.

"Well, when did we get it?" Danny tried to stand up, but his legs started jerking back and forth, causing him to fall back down with a gentle thud.

"The next part of the prophecy talks about some food. Maybe that's why we transformed. Does that mean we ate something that Hannah didn't that had the virus in it? What did we eat that Hannah didn't?" Rachael glided over to another branch absent-mindedly.

Hannah chipped in. "You all started acting oddly the day after that tournament. We got together the day after that when this grand escapade began."

"Let's see…" Danny mused. "Well, we ate different foods at the arena, so that probably isn't it since Hannah ate something there too… The only thing I can remember eating that Hannah didn't was- Oh, Arceus!" Everyone turned to face him. He threw himself to his feet. "Arceus Arceus Arceus!" His expression was that of complete mortification. "I… we… the only thing…" Danny did something nobody expected: his eyes teared up, his voice shaky. "Please… somebody feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but the only thing we ate that Hannah didn't… were… the weird oran berries from your dad's car, Michael…"

…

…

…

Danny's words sunk in. Rachael's talons clamped down on the branch. Hannah's eyes were wide and sorrowful. Michael was in shock. He jumped to his feet, slowly backing up.

"R-Riolu! Riolu! Riolu!" The words were meaningless. His eyes narrowed. "Riolu!" The words were shrill and hoarse. No words were needed to hear his rage.

"Michael… I know you hate it, but think for a minute." Hannah began wearily. "Your father has access to many different assortments of chemicals. He works in his private room, away from prying eyes. You guys even pointed out how weird the oran berries found in his car were. It all adds up." Michael's eyes narrowed further. He was deadly still.

Then he turned and ran into the foliage.

"Michael! Ack! I'll follow him!" Rachael loudly chirped, launching herself off the tree branch. She could barely make out Michael, running around the trees deftly, even with her enhanced vision. She tilted her wings from side to side in an attempt to avoid all the trees, but it was slowing her down, and she couldn't run very quickly, so she forced herself above the trees with a powerful beat of her wings.

The green and blue leaves were wet with a recent rainstorm in the area, and all the leaves smelled like dew. Rachael flicked her head around, searching for her friend. She caught sight of him, leaving the village at a dead run. There was only one place he would go, but if they were right about their theory…

Rachael swooped down to her friends, who were still somewhat dumbfounded as to what had just happened. "He's going to his house! If we're not back by tomorrow afternoon, you have reason to worry! You guys stay here!"

"Why the heck shouldn't we follow you?" Danny shouted in a mix of anger and fear as his voice cracked slightly.

"You can't even walk properly, and Hannah can barely move, much less run!" Rachael thrust her wings downward as the ground dropped from her. Ditto was right about her getting better at takeoffs with evolution. Speaking of which, she needed to come up with a nickname for him… maybe Verto…

Rachael shook her head and focused on flying after Michael. She noticed, about a mile ahead of her was a small, blue speck running much faster than he should be able to. Michael must be using quick attack. Rachael didn't even know when he learned how to do that.

The air was still slightly fragrant with dew leaves, though the air didn't smell quite as fresh as it did on the mountain. The trees were still towering, and Rachael could not see Michael anywhere. He was probably going much faster than she could fly… if only she could use quick attack, yet she still couldn't use attacks!

Then Rachael felt a burst of energy. Suddenly, her wings were beating faster, and the wind was blowing against her louder and harder. The trees became a blur of green and blue below her. How in the world?

The quick claw! Rachael felt the small pendant rubbing against her chest. She let out a chirp of joy. Amicus. She hoped Amicus was alright. The quick claw's effects lasted significantly longer than she expected. Maybe it was a response to her panic. She kept flying. She flew for several hours. The sun was beginning its descent. She still couldn't see Michael. She was moving much faster than they had been walking to the village. The city's skyscrapers were visible in the distance, which meant the suburbs they all lived in was not far.

One would think flying for several hours straight would be boring and tedious. No. It isn't. It's the most exhilarating feeling in the world. Even when trying to hurry, there is that permanent feeling of exhilaration underneath. It's what you focus on after hours of exhaustion. It's like running a marathon, except at a much more frantic pace.

If Rachael had to describe flying over her native town, it would be odd. Seeing it all from, for lack of a better term, a bird's eye view, was a peculiar experience. She could see the park from which they entered the forest. The clear sky after the rain that had taken place made for great picnic weather. Families and their pokémon were sitting on blankets far below, eating their various foods.

Rachael felt herself slowing down. The quick claw must be wearing off, and with it, her energy. She saw Michael's house roughly half a mile away. She had to be grateful for good vision.

It took her five minutes to reach his home. She landed cautiously in the back yard, which was connected to a further off portion of the forest. She had cut maybe twenty minutes going over the park instead of the woods, though Michael was more conspicuous, so he probably had to go through the forest. Hopefully, she caught up to him.

The back door was slightly ajar, with a key sticking out of the rounded doorknob. She walked in slowly, breathing heavily. Awkwardly, she flew up to the door and grabbed the doorknob in her talons, shutting it. She heard a quiet crying from upstairs. She flew up the worn and wooden stairway, and down the short hall that was adorned with pictures of Michael and Mr. Clark, his father.

One photo, in particular, caught her attention. It was Michael when he was around ten. They were at a pokémon themed amusement park on the other side of the country. Rachael dimly remembered Michael talking about that trip years ago. Both of them were on a rollercoaster made to look like a Gyarados, as it took a deep nosedive where the camera took a picture. Both of them looked to be having a great time. Did a man like that cause all this?

She heard Michael trying to suppress sobs. That probably was not a good sign. Rachael walked down the hallway to a door left ajar. The room inside it was… cluttered. There was a queen-sized bed with wrinkled white covers on it. The walls were painted a dull brown, and the desks and dresser in front of the windows were a matching darker brown. Michael was kneeling on top of the table, with a leather book laying in front of him, the pages wide open and soaked with tears. Michael's jacket still hung, the sleeves tied around his neck like a cape, as part of it hung off the dresser, smelling musty with dirt.

Rachael frowned, and quietly lifted herself to the dresser. She landed behind Michael softly, who didn't turn to look at her. She peeked over his shoulder at the journal, and felt her blood run cold. She didn't read the whole page, but she saw the words she needed to.

"Revenge. Kill. Joy. Disease." The words popped out at her as though they were a lit neon sign. Michael let out a shriek of rage and sorrow, slamming the book shut, throwing it off the dresser. It landed on the floor, crumpling up the pages hitting the floor with it.

So they were correct in their assumptions? It made too much sense, but why would Mr. Clark do this? He held some sort of grudge against pokémon, but what would committing genocide do? Sure, ordinary animals existed in this world, ones without the elemental abilities of pokémon, but it would be beyond difficult to find a sufficient amount to stabilize all the ecosystems, assuming even they survive. Unless the virus got to all the humans and everyone turned into pokémon themselves…

Rachael stopped this horrible train of thought. He must harbor some terrible grudge. Perhaps one harmed someone he cared about. Mr. Clark had always seemed the kind to fixate on something and not let it go.

Footsteps.

Rachael let out a chirp of fear. "Michael!" She warned in a coarse whisper. "We need to go!" He hugged his legs, rubbing his paws over the blue and brown fur. He shook his head, not looking to her.

Rachael grew frantic. "Michael! Come on! We have to leave!" She put her wing on his shoulder, only to have it thrust away. His head remained down.

The door slowly opened. Mr. Clark crept in, slowly, with an enraged expression on his face. He was wearing a lab coat that was near immaculate, though his hair was a complete mess, he had bags under his eyes, and he had a slouch. He looked exhausted. Michael didn't look up.

Mr. Clark stared the two down, before slowly reaching behind his back for something. Before Rachael had time to process what was happening, a jolting pain surged throughout her, pain unlike any Rachael had felt. She let out a shrill screech of pain. After a few seconds, she went numb. She couldn't move. A stun gun. She must've been shot with a stun gun. She should have been panicking, but she was tired now…

"Riolu!" She heard Michael shout in fear. Then he screamed. It was a guttural, animalistic scream. Probably the worst sound Rachael had ever heard in her life.

Then she blacked out.

…

…

…

Rachael let out a chirping sound that substituted for a groan. Arceus was she sore. She experimentally moved all her limbs. Her tail feathers twitched appropriately. She could move her talons. She forced herself up, and slowly opened her eyes. It was dark. She felt the cold, hard surface beneath her. Stone. Where was she? She flexed her wings, or at least tried to. They were bound by something. It felt like a ring of some sorts, securely fastened around them, preventing her from moving them as they were pinned firmly and uncomfortably to her sides.

She wearily looked around. The only source of light was the world's smallest window, only about five inches in each direction. The window was just at her eye level. She looked out it, only to be dismayed when all she saw was an almost equally dark room, the only light source coming from an abandoned lamp left on at a desk nearby. There were many machines in the chamber, but she couldn't see well enough to make any of them out. Her eyes widened. She was in a lab. Her breathing quickened, as she rubbed her side against a wall of the same material as the floor. She backed up a few paces, only to encounter another one. She was in a cage. She tried moving to the other side of the cramped space, only to run into another entity. He let out a surprised gasp, and a startled "Riolu!" The figure was barely visible, but he looked like…

"Michael? I don't know if you can see me, but it's me. Rachael." She kept her voice steady and calm, stomping down her growing dread. She didn't need to make Michael and his emotion-sensing abilities panic further.

"Can you light your force palm?" Light, welcome, sweet, light flooded their cramped confinements. The walls around them allowed not much room, barely tall enough for Rachael to stand. Michael was sitting in an awkward position, paws bound around his back.

"Shackles? Let me see them." Michael complied, a dull look in his eyes as he lifted his glowing fists up for her to see. The cuffs were made of an ebony metal, and under lock and key, so Rachael didn't see a way to break them off anytime soon. Rachael turned her head to peer at what was binding her wings. It was the same type as Michael's, except it wrapped around her wings entirely.

"Jeez… where did he even get this stuff…" Rachael muttered under her breath. Michael turned his head away.

"Michael…" Rachael started, unsure of how to calm him or make him feel better. "We'll get out of here. I'm not sure what time it is, but Hannah and Danny will know to look for us by the midday after we… uh… left." She finished awkwardly. Michael kept his head turned.

A door opened. The hinges creaked with effort as it reached its full length, then began to swing shut. Footsteps echoed through the room. "Michael," Rachael whispered quickly. "Put away your force palm." Darkness encased them once again. A dim light filtered in through the sorry excuse for a window as the person turned the lights on in the room.

Bang!

Both Michael and Rachael jumped. The person slammed their fist into the side with the window. They both backed away from that side of the cage. There was a snapping sound. The door began to open. For the first time, Rachael could see their surroundings. The cage was about five feet off the ground, and the only means of leaving the room was a single iron door they'd never be able to open, being bound, short, and lacking in opposable thumbs. The room was filled with machinery. Opposite to them was a metal table filled with beakers and the Rube-Goldberg-like means of carrying around chemicals in twisting manners.

The next thing Rachael knew, she was being grabbed by the leg and pulled. One thing to note about her legs: they were not completely straight like a human's. There was a natural bend in the joints. Needless to say, having a leg gripped in a way that tries to straighten them hurts. Rachael felt herself hanging upside down as she was pulled across the room, before being dropped onto a metal surface. She landed with a soft thud.

Rachael didn't have time to stand back up before something was wrapped around her neck. She froze. A strong chord completely circled her neck, not choking her but relatively close. In her peripheral vision, she could see the chords tied to the two edges of the table. It would choke her if she struggled. Horror wound its way through her system. Mr. Clark's face was cold and dull.

He was holding a large needle. He muttered under his breath. "Tests show it's been exposed to the serum, yet shows no symptoms of any kind despite a prolonged exposure…" He typed this into a nearby computer expertly with one hand. "Attempting to inject serum directly into the bloodstream from various locations." Rachael could barely comprehend what was happening. Her breathing quickened. She closed her eyes as the large needle was jabbed into her neck. She let out a chirping whimper. He took another needle and jabbed it into her chest. Another into her wing. More needles in many different places. Then, he grabbed another syringe and drew her blood. It was a large needle and left her dizzy after he filled it with her crimson blood.

Then they waited. Mr. Clark had spent the next several hours typing away on a computer and analyzing her blood through a microscope. Rachael was cramped from lying in one position for so long. There was nothing she could do to escape her bindings unharmed. Her leg was sore from the rough handling earlier. She was in a half-daze, half-sleep when Mr. Clark let out a growl of anger and frustration, jumping up angrily from his seat.

"Why won't it affect you…?" He whispered slowly and angrily as he glared at Rachael, inches from her face. She shied away. He was tired, and his breath smelled like alcohol. He'd been drinking. When she kept silent, as though he had expected an answer, he turned away from her and muttered as he typed once more on the computer.

"Now attempting to inject serum while the subject is in a weakened state." He smiled. It was not a friendly one. He reached over his shoulder and flipped a switch Rachael couldn't see.

She hated the switch.

Electricity coursed through her body. She let out a shrill screech of agony. Every part of her felt like it was on fire. She struggled against her confinements. The pain in her neck grew even worse. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't hear. She could only feel. It seemed like hours until the electricity cut off. She took gasping breaths. She was shaking like a leaf. More pain in her sore leg as Mr. Clark brought his fist down on it.

"Pipe down!" Her leg felt like it was being torn off. They weren't very strong to begin with. Hot tears stung her eyes. She glared at Mr. Clark. There was a certain glint in his eyes. He enjoyed her pain. He was holding another syringe. He thrust it right into her chest. It was like being stabbed with a knife. She whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut, causing the tears to stream over her face. He drew her blood again, then they waited. Another hour passed. Her leg was hurting the entire time. It was probably broken. The table below her was coated with a thin layer of her blood, and her feathers were singed from the electricity. Her captor grunted angrily.

He gripped her by the binding on her wings, grabbed the chord, and forced it off her neck by pulling her head through it, nearly choking her in the process. Her neck burned. Once she was freed, he grabbed her injured leg again, opened the cage, and threw her in; Michael let out a surprised grunt. Rachael groaned and lifted her head to see Michael's face of horror. He looked at her injuries, his eyes widening.

Rachael couldn't move as Michael was grabbed by the neck, and taken out of the cage. The door was shut with a resounding thud. Rachael finally let the darkness take her.

…

Rachael awoke to Michael's shouts of fear. She scrambled up, her eyes dry, throat burning. Her injured leg gave out under her. She struggled over to the window and watched Michael with horror. He was in no better shape than her. There was a singed smell in the building, meaning Michael was likely shocked too. His father held a syringe, and Michael struggled against the chord on his neck.

Rachael could barely comprehend what was happening. The next thing she knew; the needle was jabbed directly into Michael's eye. Then another large syringe into the other one as he was helpless to do anything to stop it. Directly into his eyes… Rachael felt herself grow dizzy at the sight. Michael whimpered.

Mr. Clark held something up to Michael. Rachael recognized it as Michael's favorite jacket.

"See this?" Mr. Clark spoke slowly and deliberately. "Take a good, long look at this jacket. This is what you took from me. It will be the last thing you ever see." Michael was shaking like a leaf, blood and tears flowing from his eyes. His eyes were wide and red. Fear was etched into his being. A look and expression Rachael would carry with her forever.

Another syringe. Blood. Another. Blood. Another. Blood. Another. Blood. Another. Blood. Rachael had to turn away. Did he not know of the transformation? He must not… Michael must have been afraid to tell him. Then he must blame Michael for… well… Michael's disappearance… did he think the Riolu in front of him killed Michael, thanks to the jacket?

Rachael turned back to the horrific scene. Michael's eyes were squeezed shut, but that did nothing to stop the blood flowing from them like tears. He was breathing in gasping, sputtering sobs. Mr. Clark was smiling all the while. It was a cruel, twisted smile of one getting revenge. Of a man who had nothing left to lose.

It was the worst thing Rachael had ever seen.

Several hours later, Michael was thrust back into the cage. His eyes were still squeezed shut. Rachael hadn't seen him open them once since…

Something else was thrown into the cage with them. Oran Berries. Two of them. A small cup of water as well. Michael lay in the corner of the cage. He was curled up, whimpering like a puppy. His fur was still singed, his neck raw. His face was covered in smeared blood. The lights turned off, thrusting them back into darkness. Footsteps. The door opening and shutting. Silence.

"Michael?" Rachael whispered, her voice dry and hoarse. "Come on… we need to eat…" Despite his paws still being tied behind his back, he sluggishly worked his way onto his knees. Rachael used her good leg to kick an Oran berry to him. He leaned into it, slowly eating it like a quadruped would. Rachael did the same with hers. Oran berries would not heal them, but they could reduce the chances of further damage from their current injuries. These berries tasted odd, though. They had juice in them not unlike the ones that started this whole mess. Mr. Clark must be trying to give them the virus some other way. She welcomed the liquid, though, as it cooled her burning throat. After her berry was gone, she pushed the small plastic cup over to Michael.

"Here. Water." Michael quietly drank. He drank roughly one-third of its contents, before passing it off to Rachael. "Thanks," she muttered gratefully. She let the room-temperature tap water flow down her throat, relishing in it. When she was done, both she and Michael retreated to the back of the cage and leaned against each other for body warmth to shield themselves from the cold of the cage.

"I don't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself either." Rachael closed her eyes. She could feel Michael holding his breath, listening to every word. "I know you must not have told your father the truth. Don't worry. I understand why. We'll get out of here. We'll be okay. Danny and Hannah will save us. They're tough."

Michael leaned his head against her wings, as though to say "Thanks."

Rachael only hoped they actually would make it out of here.


	16. Pain

Michael awoke with a start. His eyes…. His eyes felt like someone had driven a knife through them. He felt cold stone below him. He tried to move his arm to push himself off the ground, but he found they were being held together. Memories of the previous day flooded back to him. He shivered. He didn't dare open his eyes now that the bleeding had stopped. He just hoped there was no permanent damage. He felt Rachael's breathing next to him. Her feathers made for a decent source of comfort. He groaned. He was sore! His wounds from the needles seemed to have mostly stopped bleeding. You'd think they couldn't do as much damage as they did, but safety definitely was not his father's goal. He felt tears well up, causing his eyes to burn. He squeezed his eyelids further shut, and pushed the thought out of his head for the time being.

His paws were numb after spending so much time tied behind his back, and he was still stiff from the electric shock. It must have been worse for Rachael and her flying type, though. His neck felt like someone was driving a saw through it, thanks to that stupid chord. He was also pretty hungry and thirsty, despite the oran berries and water…

Rachael was still asleep beside him, so Michael put his injuries aside for later, leaned against her wing, and thought.

This was his fault. If only he hadn't been too cowardly to tell his father when this mess started, they would be here, subject to his experiments. Experiments that existed solely because he was angry. Michael put his head on his knees. The journal… His father's actions made far too much sense.

He didn't read all of it, but the things he did read… It explained everything, sadly. Footsteps. Michael shot up. Rachael let out a surprised chirp as yellow filled Michael's mind. He could still see the emotion colors…. For once, he didn't mind the colors. They pulsed brighter depending on whether or not he was facing the person feeling the emotion, so it was useful as a source of navigation since his eyes were still killing him.

The door opened. Rachael attempted to stand, only for blue of distress and pain to consume her as she collapsed on the leg his father had smashed. It was probably broken, but with his paws behind his back, he couldn't set it, much less even feel it. Rachael remained surprisingly stoic about his father walking in. There was no fear. No more sorrow. Just… determination. She was determined to survive.

The hinges on the door squeaked with effort; Rachael was abruptly pulled from Michael as she let out a squawk of surprise.

Michael let out a guttural, animalistic cry of protest, lurching after her, but to no avail. The door slammed shut. Still no fear… Michael was alone in the cage. He shuffled weakly to the window, propping his back up against the wall to the side. He squeezed his damaged eyes shut further. He knew what was about to happen… he only wished he hadn't gotten Rachael into this situation… It was all his fault. Tears, and probably blood, stung his eyes further. He felt it run down his face, the fur stiff. He must've looked like a mess…

He heard the shuffling of that chord being wrapped around Rachael's neck again. He winced, the pain in his neck feeling even worse now. Michael waited tensely. He'd lost all feeling in his arms, so he nervously shuffled his legs instead.

He heard a muffled chirp. He must be using the needles again. Michael waited for hours. Time seemed to be at a standstill. He could do nothing but wait. He was in a daze, not quite asleep, but not quite awake when things took a turn for the worse. His fur stood on end. The electricity! Surprisingly, Rachael wasn't screeching. She remained silent. Emotionless. The static that filled the room seemed to increase tenfold. A crackling sound filled the entire room. Rachael started flailing, as proven by the metal banging against something.

Then the dam that was Rachael's controlled emotions broke. In one, terrible second. Purple and blue were all Michael could see. The melancholic whirlpool was filled with Rachael's screeching. It filled the room. It filled Michael's mind. It was all he could hear. He started to tremble.

"Riolu! Riolu! Riolu!" He chanted, desperately hoping it would stop.

"Shut up!" his dad shouted. A loud bang against the table. Another renewed shriek of pain.

It was too much. Too much. Too much.

…

Finally, the screeching stopped. The colors didn't, though. Several minutes later, Rachael was thrust back into the cage with a loud thud.

"M-Michael…" Rachael muttered tiredly. "Don't w-worry… they'll… they'll find us…" Michael held onto those words as his life depended on it.

It was the only chance he had. He nodded in Rachael's direction, even though she might not be able to see it, before being pulled to the table by the neck.

…

…

…

…

…

Danny and Hannah finally found Ditto in the field where they had trained. Rachael and Michael still hadn't come back yet. Hannah's injuries had time to recover slightly more, so moving didn't cause her as much pain, while Danny had found that he could run perfectly fine. It was basic motor skills like walking that gave him trouble. He had to keep reminding himself of that; to keep moving at a steady jog at the very least.

"Ditto." Hannah started, her voice was cold. Their shiny friend was in the form of a Poochyena they had just seen transform from a Ponyta.

"Hmm? 'Wazzup kid? He slurred, apparently somewhat tired still. Hannah glared at him, her odd pink antennae lifting from her hair.

"It's been two days. Michael and Rachael are still not back yet. We think they're in trouble."

"Alrighty then! Where are they? We can get the little children and take away dessert for running- "

"No!" Hannah shouted, grabbing the Poochyena, and throwing him headfirst into the nearby lake. He let out a startled yelp as he hit the water with a loud crash.

Danny chuckled, his shoulders bouncing uncontrollably from the effort to not laugh out loud.

A grouchy-looking Popplio emerged from the water, the little blue seal pokémon splaying out onto the grass. "What was that for?!"

Hannah crossed her arms. Sorry if I'm not letting you indulge in your half drunk, lazy habits while Michael and Rachael are missing!"

Ditto's eyes widened. "Woah, seriously? They're not back yet?"

"We literally just told you that twenty seconds ago." Danny deadpanned.

"Oh. Okay. Anyway, where would they be? I can warp us there." He offered, rolling over onto his back.

"They'd be at Michael's father's house. We think he's the one behind all this." Hannah shifted her weight from leg to leg impatiently.

"Huh… that's rough. Think clearly of where it is, and I'll read it from your mind as an Alakazam. You guys ready to go now?"

Hannah groaned. "Yes, yes! Now come on! Hurry up! I don't want to be finding my best friends dead because you kept moving slower than a Shuckle!"

Ditto was stunned. A shadow passed over his face. "Do you think that is a genuine risk?" He asked, behavior completely different. Hannah nodded slowly.

"I see. My apologies for my earlier behavior. Let us go." There was a white glow, and suddenly an Alakazam towered over Danny. He flinched with surprise and somehow wound up on the floor after a variety of muscle spasms. Arceus, he hoped this didn't carry over if he returned to being human.

"Talk about a heel-to-face turn…" Danny remarked snidely. Ditto glared at him.

"Here we go." Danny's vision went white.

"Ouch!" Danny barked as he tumbled to a hardwood ground. Hannah was lying next to him, wincing at her injuries.

"Wow, Ditto. That was... oof… fast." Hannah pushed herself off the ground, then lifted Danny to his feet, much to his embarrassment.

"Yes. Now come, let us find the twosome." Danny looked around. They were right in the middle of Michael's living room. He recognized the couch where the whole fiasco had started.

Hannah shot up, seeming to remember something. She dug through their large backpack. She shot a quizzical look at Danny. "Why did you pack a headband?" She pulled out a blue headband and slid it over her head, pinning down her antennae, causing them to blend into her pink highlights.

"I'll never tell," Danny told her her with a mysterious smile.

"Are you using some sort of illusion?"

"Please. Why would I drain my energy needlessly like that?"

Ditto floated to the ground and suddenly transformed into a Lilipup, sprawling out on the floor. "Alright, then. It looks like I'm not totally rested from the trigger-happy teleporting at the mountain."

Footsteps. Mr. Clark was home. Danny heard them too. His eyes widened. Thinking quickly, Hannah scooped both of the canine pokémon up in her arms and put on a smile, pulling her sleeves down to conceal some of her arm injuries.

"Hannah? Is that you?" Danny looked up to see Mr. Clark staring at them dumbfounded.

"Hello, Mr. Clark. It is a pleasure to see you! Your door was open, so I wanted to make sure everything was okay! Pardon my intrusion!"

"It was? The wind must have blown it open. It is quite all right, though, Hannah. What brings you here?" He seemed relatively normal.

"My parents finally bought me some pet pokémon! I haven't been able to get a hold of Michael, so I brought them here to try and show him. Do you know where he is?"

"He is currently out of town. He had to go somewhere out of the country to meet with some relatives about some personal things. I couldn't go with him due to work" His voice was unwavering. It was actually surprising how well he could lie.

"Oh. I see. Thanks anyway. I'm sorry for barging in."

"Don't worry about it. I'm afraid I must depart for work now, though. I have important research to do in my lab."

"Your lab is at the research facility on pokémon items, right?" He smiled.

"Yes, that is correct. I'm working on making a cheap and efficient potion to revolutionize out-of-center healing. It should really help when these two little guys get injured. He patted Danny on the head. Deciding to stay in character, he let out a happy-ish yip. Unfortunately, the muscle spasms began again, causing him to thrash mildly in Hannah's arms. Mr. Clark frowned.

"Is something the matter with your new friend?"

"He's a rescue. He has some sort of condition that causes him muscle spasms sometimes." The lying-fest continues. Mr. Clark looked puzzled.

"Muscle spasms? When do these occur?"

"Well, the vet decided it was an issue with his fine-motor skills. We don't exactly have a treatment, but he seems to do all right at things such as running or using his attacks."

"And why does he have those blonde furs?"

"Some sort of genetic defect or issue with his DNA."

Mr. Clark's eyes lit up. "Fascinating." He checked his wristwatch. "Oh dear. This chat has been pleasant, but I really must be leaving now."

"Yes, sir! I'll be leaving too! Come on boys!" She walked out the front door and set them both on the floor. "Tell Michael I said hi when you have the chance!"

"I most certainly will. Have a good day." Mr. Clark shut the door in front of him, set the alarm, and exited the house as well, locking it behind him. He then got into his convertible and drove away, Hannah turning to walk down the street in the opposite direction.

Danny moved at a steady trot, repeatedly circling Hannah's legs. Ditto grumpily trailed behind her. "Could you have been anymore patronizing?"

Hannah turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like me to?"

"Anyway," Danny interrupted. "What's the game plan?"

Hannah lowered her voice, taking on a neutral expression. "We wait until he gets far away enough, and go in."

"Why are we even searching his dump of a home?" Ditto remarked, still miffed from the "dog treatment."

"For clues," Hannah replied quietly. Danny made a small cheer.

"All right! Let's Phoenix Wright the heck out of this place!" Hannah gave him an incredulous look.

"Let's… what?"

"Y'know, snooping around behind peoples backs then using the evidence to uncover the truth!"

"I'm not the only one clueless here, right?" Ditto confirmed grouchily. Hannah nodded in affirmation.

"Come on, let's cut through the forest and take that way to Michael's house."

…

…

…

…

A Metagross. Since when did his dad even have a Metagross? He silently stood as a sentry unit Michael could hardly sense while Michael and Rachael sat side-by-side in the cage they had grown to despise. All his emotions were odd and dull. They seemed fake. Maybe they were. His father had left them alone for a few hours to go back to the house Michael missed dearly.

Rachael filled the silence. "Metagross…" Her voice was hoarse and raspy from dehydration and abuse to her throat. "Why do you listen to him? He isn't being… uh… particularly humane at the moment."

Michael hoped she didn't hurt her metaphorical wrist backhanding that one out.

The response was smooth and monotone. "He is my owner. I must obey him. He has been my master longer than you have been alive, little Rachael."

"But… doesn't he mistreat you too?" Metagross' response was immediate.

"The odds of him eradicating me with the completion of his concoction is ninety-two point eight percent. His virus is made to target the very genetics of a pokémon, and breaking it down until nothing can remain, due to the durability of the general pokémon and their fair immune system. For now, it only targets instinctual programming, causing pokémon to rage out of their control at instances, much like the Pangoro that attacked you and the Absol at the first deployment of the serum."

"Wait… how do you know about us?"

"I can read minds."

"Oh. Well, you certainly seem knowledgeable enough to assist your master. Why have you not?"

"He has not asked me to. Likewise, I lack a means of communication with him."

"Why do you listen to him so absolutely? Why are you willing to let him do such a thing? Even if he is your master, he would be dooming the world."

"I am one of the few pokémon who does not qualify as a sentient being. I exist to serve. I mimic emotions, but do not actually feel them. Therefore, emotions do not interfere with the tasks I am given, and as of now, my task is to keep you contained in the cage."

Rachael sighed, then coughed. "Of course it is…"

Michael let out a groan and inched closer to Rachael. Any other day, they'd be beyond embarrassed at such close contact. But once you're thrown into a cold cage after undergoing painful experiments, you really don't care at that point.

"Michael" Rachael started. He nudged her wing with his arm to show he was listening. He had spent the past hour working the feeling back into his paws, and he was starting to be able to move them effectively again, despite the painful bindings.

"How are your eyes? I saw what he was doing. I'm so sorry you had to go through that twice." Michael's eyes stung more at the mere mention. He had mostly not paid attention while the needles were being jabbed into him, but now that he thought about it… his father had forced his eyes open, and despite that… He still hadn't been able to see anything.

Fear filled Michael's being. He started shaking. Rachael noticed this. "Oh… Michael… oh no… it's not… it's not what I think, right?" Michael leaned his head against her and nodded. She felt the movement. Purple fear. Blue sorrow. Yellow shock. Red anger.

The colors Michael had hated…

Were now his only sense resembling sight.

…

…

…

…

Danny gasped at what he smelled. They had searched most of the main rooms in Michael's house after Danny located the key Michael had used to get into his house when he left his at home when they wanted to play some games there, and Hannah turned off the alarm with the combination she saw Michael input once in a similar situation.

They had found a few of Rachael's feathers, a surefire sign they had been here. They were now searching Mr. Clark's room. Immediately upon entering the room, a scorched smell assaulted his senses. It wasn't like when someone was set on fire, though. It was… different.

"What do you think caused it?" Hannah asked after Danny explained his findings.

"I don't know… but… hang on… Hannah! Show me one of your electrical burns." Hannah was confused, to say the least.

"Whyyyyy?" Danny could not blame her skepticism, though it was amusing.

"Just do it!" While giving him that "You are a very confusing entity" look Danny had grown to live for, she unrolled one of her sleeves, revealing an area of raw, red skin. Danny put his nose to it. It smelled burnt. It smelled like… the room did. His eyes widened.

He searched the room, tracing the source of the smell. He stumbled upon a tin wastebasket, almost empty, save for several gray feathers.

They were charred on the tips, and they smelled similar to Hannah's wound. His eyes widened again. He tripped over his foot, knocking over the wastebasket, dumping the small pile of feathers onto the ground.

"These smell vaguely like your electrical burns, meaning Rachael was shocked with something… maybe a stun gun? We didn't see much proof of any other pokémon being here. Other than her and maybe Michael."

"But… that would mean that man has them somewhere. But where?" Ditto asked, sitting in the doorway, recuperating from the straining teleportation.

"Wait… no… oh, my Arceus… no…" Hannah muttered, mortified at a thought that crossed her mind. Danny whipped his head around to her, half intentionally as his back leg twitched back and forth nervously.

"What?" He asked her quietly, dreading the answer.

"He said he has important research to do in his lab… what if that…" She turned her head away, covering her face with her hand momentarily and taking a deep breath, before turning back to them. "What if that necessary research involved two test subjects?"

The words, and everything they implied set in. Danny gaped.

"O-okay… let's think about this logically. We don't have too much proof it was Mr. Clark, right?" his voice wavered. "Let's at least make sure we're certain first, before we make such… horrible predictions… Sure, Rachael came in here, probably Michael too, and Mr. Clark might have used a stun gun for self-defense, then let them out. Hannah looked pensive.

"I doubt it," she finally admitted.

"Why?"

"His jacket," Hannah answered simply.

"What do you mean?" Danny snapped.

"Michael has been wearing his jacket like a cape, remember? For some reason, Mr. Clark must not have known Michael transformed. If that were true, what would you do if you found a wild pokémon in your house with your missing son's jacket?"

"I would- uh… point Hannah… Well, why didn't he alert the authorities?"

"I can't say for sure. Either Michael left some lie-filled note, he doesn't trust the authorities or he feared having his workplace searched for one reason or another."

"So we're seriously saying Michael's father is experimenting on them?" Arceus, Danny could only pray that wasn't the case. The very notion was beyond horrific.

Hannah nodded gravely.

"Then someone will have Hell to pay." Ditto remarked in an ominous voice. We're going, now. The next instant, an Alakazam stood before them. Then Danny's vision went white once more. Then he landed on the carpet. He stood up and looked around. Danny recognized it as the building where Mr. Clark worked. Ditto must have fished it out of Hannah's brain again.

The walls were beige, with multiple TVs with shameless advertising of the company on them. There was a waiting area where some people who apparently didn't work at the building lying in a waiting area with blank expressions on their face. Danny could hear the distant ring of phones as well. Strangely enough, nobody seemed to be interested in the trio that just teleported in instead of using the door like normal people. Danny turned to see a Zoroark, eyes glowing blood red, where Ditto had once been an Alakazam.

He seemed relatively calm. Or tired. "I can hold a fairly full-sense illusion for a few hours… Zoroark illusions are different than Zorua ones, so no sweat."

Hannah nodded, then looked curious. "Full sense?"

"Smell and sound, for pokémon with heightened senses. Obviously, I can't do taste or touch. I'll be tired if we're going to be here for a while, though."

"I guess we'll just need to keep our eyes peeled for when Mr. Clark leaves his lab, then sneak in and search for Michael and Rachael. Maybe find something incriminating too. Surefire proof would be useful in making me not feel like an idiot."

"So we wait?" Danny asked, sitting down by a wall where nobody seemed to walk.

"We wait." Hannah sat down. It was going to be a long day.

…

…

…

…

Michael groaned as he waited on the table. He was shaky and weak from all the concoctions injected into his eyes. His father had mentioned something about antibodies built up to defend against the virus, but he was apparently making it stronger and stronger. Michael's arms were growing numb again, and his head was killing him. He could barely lift a muscle even if he weren't tied to a table by the throat and subjected to multiple shocks for moving. His wounds were already not getting any better, and Michael suspected it was the same for Rachael. He saw what happened to her foot before his eyes were… At least he still had the emotion colors. Danny would laugh himself to sleep from the irony if he knew how much Michael had hated them before…

His father was thinking aloud again. "Subject showing signs of negative response to serum, though nothing lethal as of yet. Other symptoms may include unique genetic mutation such as a change in fur color. The rescued Zorua Hannah had also had several blond furs despite that being nearly unheard of in the past. The Lilipup, however, showed no such signs, so perhaps the serum is not spreading as intentioned- "

Michael registered what his father had said. Hannah! Green flooded his… for lack of a better word, vision, and senses, from Rachael in the cage. She had heard it too. He saw Hannah and Danny! Ditto was probably the Lilipup he mentioned! That means they had come to look for them! They knew they were missing!

Hope blossomed in Michael's heart as a smile crept onto his lips. His father noticed this, given the sudden surge in rage. With a grunt, he triggered the electricity, sending jolts through Michael once more. It hurt just as bad the previous times, but when it was over, the cold feeling that used to remain…

Was replaced by a bittersweet glee Michael relished in.

They would be saved, but what of his father? He couldn't continue this. The prophecy Xatu had told them echoed in his mind. His father was the one… The realization hit him like a train. His father was the one Ninetales, and every other pokémon needed him to stop.

He would have to curse his own father. Yet, when the time came, could he? The answer to that… Michael could not give an honest answer.


	17. Curse

 

Chapter 17: Curse

Hannah and Danny had to wait for a few hours. It was dull as sand. The group sat, continuously scanning the crowd for Mr. Clark. Danny Even turned himself invisible and left to check for his lavish car on occasion. Ditto was tired due to the constant strain he put on himself, but he seemed to be holding up okay, sitting next to Hannah as a Zoroark. They passed the time by talking.

"Do illusions work differently as a Zoroark?" He nodded absently.

"Yeah. It's less like connecting a wire to your power, and more like attaching the illusion itself to the person, including yourself. They each have their radius of effect. So if I wanted to put an illusion to make you look like a Growlithe, I could do that, and people nearby would see that, for as long as I make the illusion go. It's a lot less taxing than what Danny pulled at the mountain." Hannah grunted.

"Why did he freak out in the fairy zone, anyway?" Ditto smiled at the question.

"Dark types don't do so well with fairies."

"Oh, okay… I guess that makes sense."

Ditto looked at her, concerned. "Speaking of random stuff, how are your injuries? That Eelektrik did a number on you." Hannah waved it off.

"I'm sore, but I'm doing better. I hope Lolektrik is doing well, though…" Ditto looked surprised.

"He has a nickname?" Hannah nodded.

"Yeah, so I started calling him by it before he turned. I don't blame him, though. He just wanted to go home. Who can blame wanting to return home?" Ditto was silent, pondering.

"So you're willing to forgive him for attacking you twice?"

Hannah nodded. "If he wants to be forgiven, he will be." Ditto and Hannah stayed silent for a few more minutes, scanning the crowds.

"Say this is all said and done, and we think up a way to turn you guys back to normal. What are you going to do?"

Hannah thought for a moment. "Honestly? I'll probably stay like this. I can still blend in all right. But you guys put a psychic quarantine on the virus, right? That probably won't last forever, so it all just depends on whether or not I change drastically."

Just then, Danny glumly appeared in front of them, concealed behind Ditto's illusion instead now.

"His cars still here. Arceus, this is boooooooooring." He mocked pouting, as though it were some terrible joke."

Hannah sat up straight a few minutes later, and stared intently at a particular man leaving a hallway marked "Faculty only." It was Mr. Clark. Hannah nudged Danny and Ditto. She pointed to Mr. Clark. They all nodded and crowd-dodged their way to the building he came from. When nobody seemed to be paying attention, they slipped through the door.

Danny silently led the way, using his now acute sense of smell. To guide them through a long pathway of doors and corridors. They all looked the same to Hannah, but Danny seemed to know where he was going.

A few minutes later, they reached a door. Hannah let them through it. Ditto was sluggish by now but continued moving. They reached another door.

Danny froze. His eyes widened. All at once, he collapsed on the floor, muscle spasms taking over as he covered his nose with his paws, shivering.

"D-Danny? What's wrong…?" Hannah asked him, voice shaking.

"The smell… The smell… The smell…" He chanted, eyes squeezed shut. Dear Arceus.

"I-is this where they are?" Hannah stuttered, growing scared. Still shivering, Danny nodded. Hannah quickly tested the door. Surprisingly, it opened. Perhaps Mr. Clark had not expected to be gone long. Maybe he was merely going for a meal or drink. He'd be back soon if that were the case.

Several terrible smells assaulted Hannah's senses. The two most prominent being the scent of blood and the smell of burnt flesh. Hannah felt a chill go down her spine.

"Leave this place now, intruders," A mechanical voice warned. With her exceptional ability to see in the dark, thanks to needing it to see underwater, she could see a single, large pokémon. It was a Metagross.

Ditto stepped forward, transforming into a Charmeleon, his tail flame lighting the room. "Did that man, Clark, put you up to this?" He asked slowly.

"Yes. He is my owner, and as such, I am obligated to obey him. Now leave this place!"

"Hannah! Danny!" Hannah turned her head to a small, black box on a shelving unit. Rachael's voice had come from it! She was in there! Her voice was so hoarse, though. When was the last time she'd had water? Hannah ran over to the box, only to be abruptly stopped by some strange force. She saw a purple force field around her, Danny, Ditto, and Metagross. It was a psychic barrier.

"Let us get to them," Ditto commanded, still clearly exhausted.

"I cannot," Metagross replied instantly.

Ditto sighed. "He won't listen to reason, no matter what we say."

"So we have to fight him?" Ditto nodded.

Danny grinned. "Been looking for a chance to use these in a fight." His eyes changed from blue to red. There was a purple flash, and suddenly, he was gone.

"Signs of aggression detected. Do not proceed, intruders."

"Well, that'd be no fun! Plus, our friends are in a cage, so we kinda can't, even if we wanted," Danny's voice echoed from everywhere.

"This is such a bad idea…" Hannah mumbled, worried. She couldn't exactly fight. Maybe she could play cannon fodder for a while. She chuckled nervously at the thought. Ditto gave her an "Are you insane?" look; she was.

Ditto stared down the Metagross. There was a flash of light, and he morphed into a Charmeleon. Despite having not moved, he was already breathing heavily from the strain he put on himself earlier.

He charged at Metagross. His claws elongated into a metal claw. The Metagross was unfazed when Ditto scraped his claws against him. Ditto opened his mouth, his teeth growing larger. He jumped over the Metagross, intending to try and use a bite. He froze, midair, a purple aura surrounding him.

Hannah screamed as Ditto was thrown backward into the barrier, landing with a thud. He grunted, and charged again. His claws lit up into a hypnotic flame. He sidestepped a purple ray and slid under Metagross.

With and upward thrust, he jabbed the fire punch into the bottom of the mechanical pokémon. Metagross raised up a little at the powerful thrust but was otherwise unfazed.

"You cannot defeat me, blue Ditto."

Danny's voice echoed from everywhere. "Do you think I can? May as well try!" Danny suddenly appeared above Metagross. His paws began to glow a fluorescent purple. He landed on Metagross heavily, sending shockwaves of purple and black through his body.

Momentarily, he seemed to stumble. A bright pink surrounded Danny as he was thrust to the end of the bubble. Ditto growled and shifted into a Charizard this time. With a roar, flames spewed from his mouth. Metagross did not flinch as they engulfed him. Hannah could only stand back and watch. Suddenly she heard a voice. It was quiet, though.

"Only you and Ditto can hear me. We're going to break a hole in the bubble. Get whatever notes you can, then save Michael and Rachael." It was Danny's voice. Hannah prepared herself. Ditto continued his onslaught, alternating between fire breathing and using melee attacks.

Metagross' eyes glowed violet. Ditto struggled as he became encased in psychic energy. With a shout, Danny landed on top of Metagross, sending purple sparks through his body. The dark type attack released Ditto, who blasted more fire, this time to his side in a highly focused ray.

When the fire died out, a small hole was formed in the barrier. Hannah dove through it, crashing into the cabinets behind it with a thud. She groaned and shook her head. Behind her, Danny, Ditto, and Metagross continued fighting; Ditto now took the form of a Mightyena to resist the psychic attacks. Hannah begrudgingly turned away from the fight. The bubble must have been blocking the noise. That explained why nobody had come to the lab yet.

Hannah turned her head quickly. A desk was covered with papers. Hannah rushed over to the papers and skimmed over them. Several notebooks lay open with free ones covering each other. Many of them were listed with chemicals and notes about them Hannah didn't understand. She also noticed a metal box that held several vials of sealed liquid. She quickly latched it shut.

She pulled the backpack off her shoulders and haphazardly thrust the papers into her bag, crumpling many of them in the process. Zipping the bag up once the desk was cleared, she ran over to the cage. Its latch was not locked, thankfully, though it was tight, and impossible to be forced open from the inside.

Nothing could have prepared her for what lay inside.

Hannah stumbled backward at the horrendous sight. The smell of blood assaulted her senses. Rachael and Michael were sitting next to each other in the back of the cage, leaning against each other for support.

Rachael's wings were bound. Her feathers were horribly ruffled, and many missing in several locations, where blood had taken its place and clotted, staining her red. Her neck, in particular, was incredibly raw, with blood showing in many areas. It looked severely burned, most of the feathers missing. Her foot was by far the worst. It was twisted and distorted gruesomely, turning many shades of blue and green. Hannah wanted to puke at the sight of it. Her eyes were distant and her breathing sporadic.

Michael was even worse. His body was covered in far more clear cuts, even worse than Rachael's. His paws were tied behind his back as well. More of his fur was red rather than blue, caked with dried blood. His face was the worst offender, showing very little of the natural colors, all seeming to come from his eyes, which he held shut. His breathing was shallow as well.

"Oh, Arceus…" Hannah whipped her head around, looking for something to cut the bindings. She noticed a key sitting nearby. She quickly gripped it and reached carefully for Rachael, who only gave her a distant gaze. On the top of the bindings, there was a small keyhole. She unlocked it, the bindings falling off. Her wings fell limply from the lack of blood flow. Quickly, Hannah rubbed them in an attempt to help Rachael get some feeling back into them. Rachael winced in pain until she was able to move them back to her sides.

She reached for Michael, who started shaking. "Michael," Hannah said in a shaky voice. "It's me. Hannah. You're safe now." He didn't stop shivering. She quickly unlocked the bindings. Michael's arms fell to his side, equally as limp. Hannah spent a minute helping him get feeling back into his arms. She grabbed them both and set them on an empty table. It had an odd cord attached to it, though.

"Chirp…" Hannah turned to see Rachael shivering violently, with her head tucked down. Michael was now curled into a small ball. "Th-the chord…" Hannah eyed the cord she seemed to be afraid of. When she looked closer, she could see it coated in a thin layer of blood. Hannah's eyes widened.

"Arceus, was that around your neck?" Rachael nodded mutely. Hannah gaped, at a short loss. She quickly turned to see Ditto still fighting Metagross. Danny, however, was still in the bubble, staring at them. His eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped. Ditto noticed Danny staring, as his eyes drifted over to the two. He was still for several seconds. He slowly turned to face Metagross.

There was a blinding light, as Ditto increased in volume. When it faded, there was a full-blown Mewtwo in his place.

"Ditto! No!" Hannah shouted in fear. He couldn't handle a form like that for long. Ditto's eyes were shadowed and full of rage. Purple consumed the bubble like a torrent of pure energy. It spiraled around the edges of the bubble until nothing inside was visible. Hannah could only see the visage of Ditto slamming into the Metagross with a psycho cut full of rage and hatred. The light got brighter as the bubble vanished, and the light died down. Ditto stood, towering over an unconscious Metagross. Danny was unharmed, thanks to being a Dark-type.

Ditto swayed. Light engulfed him, and he collapsed, returning to his true form as a blue Ditto. Silence.

…

…

…

Michael listened as Danny and Hannah spoke in hushed voices about what they should do. He kept his eyes shut as he remained in a ball on the Arceus-forsaken table. He shivered. Rachael was next to him. Green joy lined a new, innate fear that consumed her. Purple swirled around Hannah and Danny. They were truly at a loss about what to do.

Footsteps.

Michael made an animalistic shriek of fear. Rachael's joy vanished in an instant.

"Hannah? What are you doing here?" It was his dad's voice. It was cold and dark. Michael shook uncontrollably.

"Mr. Clark. Are you aware of whom you've been experimenting on?" Her voice was equally as dark and stony. She was done pretending.

"So you know? I must ask. How?" His father was forcing down surprise, replacing it with a cold demeanor.

"When your friends go missing after transforming into pokémon, you tend to find ways of locating them."

The room was silent. Michael watched as his father's emotions became many things. The rage vanished. He was blank for several seconds. A slow, blue whirlpool began to churn. It grew into a torrent of purple and blue after a short while as Hannah's words sunk in.

"What?!"

"Well, if you leave berries full of poison in your car, and we eat them, things happen. It turned them into pokémon. You turned them into pokémon. The Zorua? Danny. The Staravia? Rachael. The Riolu? Michael." Her voice was completely deadpan as red thrummed through her.

"No! You're wrong! My son is dead! He isn't a pokémon! He is not a Riolu!"

Hannah remained unwavering as his father was consumed with horror.

"Yes, he is. And you tortured him."

"NO! My son is not a pokémon!" His voice echoed through the room, full of heartache.

"Yes, he is. Accept that."

"No." Michael heard the sound of something being removed from his father's belt. Rachael started shaking again.

"It's a gun… It's a gun, and he's pointing it at Hannah!" Rachael whispered in a panic.

Michael knew what he had to do. He had to use it! He had to use the curse Snowfire gave him! But it was his father! Was there no other way?

Michael stood up slowly. He let out a shout.

"Riolu!"

His father turned to look at him, with a new perspective. "You are not my son." Michael stumbled back at the words.

"Riolu…"

"No! You are not my son! You are a beast! Nothing else!"

Michael felt tears drip down his face, drawing fresh blood from his wounds. What should he do? Curse his father, or let Hannah die?

Michael turned his head down. He moved his hands behind him. He felt that odd energy Ninetales had given him. It pooled itself into his cupped paws. Te energy spiraled around them, compacting them into a sphere. He could see where his father's rage, hence, his father was.

He chose his friends.

Michael pointed the sphere at his father, focusing in on him. He released the sphere of energy, as it flew to his father, hitting him directly in the chest. Michael felt a new, odd power surge through him.

His limbs grew longer, his tail, bigger. He was barely aware of this. The main thing he noticed, was what he could see. The lab was clearly visible, yet stained blue. He heard stories of aura being used to see when one could not or would not use eyes. It was an aura. He was sensing aura.

He watched, with his aura vision. His father's limbs jerked back and forth, as though being pulled like a marionette. He collapsed on the floor, writing in pain. His form grew to be transparent, as Michael saw the aura of the stone floor behind him. The dull, gray of it.

Michael could only watch as his father's arms twisted and distorted, shrinking. His legs completely vanished, replaced by a tail. His very face seemed to stiffen, until it fell off, revealing the rounded head of the ghost pokémon: Yamask. He was unconscious, splayed on the floor.

His father was a Yamask. Michael had turned his father into a Yamask. He collapsed to the ground, shivering once more.

"Michael…" Rachael muttered, numb.

"Lucario…" Was his only reply.

…

…

…

"You wished to speak with me?" Snowfire asked her friend, staring at the beautiful sunset.

"Michael did it," Xatu replied mournfully. "He gave the curse to that who deserved it."

"I see. How is he?"

"He is unwell. He and Rachael. They suffered greatly to reach this end." Xatu, for the first time in years, closed his eyes to mourn that which he had caused.

"I did this to him. It was the best decision, and yet, I wonder if it would have been better another way."

"We can only speculate."

"He is destroyed. We destroyed him." Xatu opened his eyes, once more, future, present, and past flooded to his eyes.

"I suppose we did," Snowfire admitted sadly. "I suppose we did."


	18. Damage

Chapter 18: Damage

Rachael woke up slowly. She was warm and on her stomach, with her wings splayed out. Her eyes opened slowly. A thin, green sheet covered her. She was lying on a mattress. She hadn't been so comfortable in a very long time. She tried to move her wings to push herself up, then winced in pain.

She gasped for breath and analyzed the room. An IV drip stuck into her side, and a soft bandage covered in a cold gel she could feel soothing her inflamed throat wrapped around her neck. The room around her was a hospital room, though with slight differences to the ones she was used to. The equipment was clearly designed to cater to smaller creatures, and her bed was large enough to fit animals only slightly bigger than herself. Aside from that, it was a relatively generic hospital. The droning beep of a heart rate monitor echoed in the background.

She felt several aches and pains across her body. Some were the stings of the surprisingly horrid cuts she attained, and some the dull throb of bone injuries. She felt for her foot to assess how it felt after its mistreatment. She felt no pain where her foot was. That was good.

She didn't feel the bed or covers on the foot either. She tried to move it, except there was nothing to move. She gave a shrill squawk of shock, followed by a horrible pain in her raw throat. Ignoring any pain, she thrust the sheet off of her.

Her foot was gone. Her yellow Staravia leg only ended in a stump expertly stitched together. She stared at in shock. Her mind raced in several different directions. What would she do? What could she do? They had amputated her foot!

Several seconds later, the door was thrust open as a nurse, followed by a Blissey. Rachael stared at them blankly.

"Don't worry, sweetie." The nurse chided in a soothing voice. "You're safe now. Your friend contacted the authorities and told them what happened. It was a rather long story, but we have the idea. You're Rachael, a student at the local high school, correct?" Rachael nodded mutely. "Don't worry; only a select few people know about your and your friends' situations."

Rachael stayed quiet, with a dull expression, she turned to look at her leg once more. The nurse's expression softened. "We did all we could, but we were unable to save the foot. We don't know what caused it, or your other injuries, but they were bad. Your friend refused to share those details."

So Hannah didn't tell them about Mr. Clark. That was good. The last thing she needed was to hear every detail of him and what was going on regarding him. Rachael's eyes trailed to the door.

"Oh, that reminds me, you have some visitors. Are you okay with me getting them, Miss Rachael?" Rachael nodded again, wishing the nurse would leave her alone. The nurse quickly walked out the door while the Blissey remained in her room, checking her vitals while using her healing moves to lessen the pain.

"Darling, who did this to you?" The Blissey asked, checking the mark under the bandages around Rachael's neck. Rachael froze, waiting for the Blissey to finish in that area. She quickly tied the bandages back. Rachael began to shake the feeling of it wrapped around her throat. It was tighter than before. She violently shivered, squeezing her eyes shut, as though electricity would course through her at any time. "Rachael. Calm down," Blissey assured in a stern yet calm voice. "You don't need to talk about it. The bandages are helping you. Take it easy."

The door began to open again. Quickly, Rachael composed herself as much as a bird missing a foot in a hospital bed could. Three people walked in. One was Hannah, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and looking exhausted. The other two were her parents. She gasped, suddenly feeling the need to hide her form.

They both looked fatigued, as though they stayed up all night. They had on casual clothes, which was a far cry from their usual formality.

"Rachael…" Her mother murmured, tears filling her eyes. "My baby…" She collapsed onto her knees, her chest racking with sobs as she cried over Rachael's bed.

Rachael only stared. Her father glared at her. "Hannah told us who did it. We'll sue Clark the moment they find him! We'll sue him for all his money!"

Rachael bolted upright. "No! Don't do that! Michael went through the same thing I did! That money is his, too!" Rachael winced as the pain in her throat flared. Her parents looked confused.

"Miss. Hannah, do you understand her?" Her father asked awkwardly. Hannah, who had been passively sitting in the room, nodded.

"She said that Michael went through exactly what she did, and taking his money would just take it from Michael, who needs it since they won't find Clark." Her father turned to her slowly.

"They 'won't find him?'" Hannah nodded vaguely.

"They won't find him. He's alive, but they are not going to be able to find him." Why was she so vague about it. Her father turned to her.

"Is that what you said?" Rachael nodded. Surely Hannah had a reason not to tell them about Clark.

"What can we do?" Her mother asked in tears. "How can we help you? You went on this little excursion, and gained nothing!"

Hannah cut in. "That's not true. All of us together helped stop Mr. Clark. He was going to try and massacre all pokémon. We stopped him. Rachael helped stop him. And we have a solid lead now."

Rachael wasn't sure she exactly helped, but she went with it.

"Really? What's that lead?" Her father asked reluctantly, as though not expecting much.

"Classified Intel. The point is, we know what we can do, but we need to go somewhere one more time."

"Where? I'll drive you." Hannah shook her head.

"A: you can't drive there. B: humans aren't allowed there," she informed, looking away.

"You're a human."

"No, I'm not." Her father looked surprised. Hannah pulled off the headband, revealing her Milotic antennae. "I can do some lovely 'not human' things. I'm allowed there."

Her father is quickly composed himself. "Regardless, I'm not letting my daughter go back to a death trap!"

Hannah glared. "She was perfectly fine until it came time to return here. That's when she was captured."

"No! My daughter isn't going to leave!" Her father stepped back and stormed out the room. Her mother was flustered, and with a final look to Rachael, she mouthed "go" before following after him. It was now just Rachael and Hannah.

"Sorry about that…" Hannah muttered. Rachael shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. What's the plan?" Rachael asked numbly, despite the searing pain in her throat.

"As soon as you're ready to go, I'm getting you out of here. Danny is hiding in Michael's room as well. We're going to my house to pick up Bella, and we're going to the village."

"Bella? Your nine-year-old sister?" Rachael asked, fondly remembering the girl that bear hugged Noctus. Then she realized. She touched Noctus when he had the virus.

Hannah nodded stiffly. "She's an Eevee now."

Rachael blinked. "So… your family knows?"

"Rachael, the whole world knows. Nothing concrete, of course, but a girl turning into a pokémon doesn't go over lightly. Then we showed back up as we are. We've made national headlines. Again, I haven't told them anything about Clark's… uh… fate, or even the mountain and village. They're searching for him after I fingered him for the transformation.

"Where is he?"

Hannah shook her head. "We'll talk about that on the way to the village. The doc said you'd be ready to go, though would need to be monitored, by tomorrow. How are you holding up, anyway?"

"Could be better," Rachael admitted, her eyes drifting to her leg.

"Yeah, I saw that. Arceus, what did he do?"

"It's done. Don't worry about it."

"Rachael…"

"I just want to get out of here."

"I don't blame you."

…

…

…

It was the next day, and her parents were filling out documents to get Rachael formally released from the hospital. Hannah showed up with their bag, ready to go. The moment her father looked away, they briskly walked out the door, Hannah keeping a firm hold on Rachael while her mother watched silently. It was early in the morning, so Bella was still exhausted. Hannah was holding Bella, who indeed was an Eevee, and Rachael in her arms while they walked. Bella's fur, however, was a much brighter blonde shade instead of the typical Eevee brown. They reached the forest borders rather quickly. Danny was there with Michael.

Rachael stared pitifully at him, the image of his father driving the syringe into his eyes was burned into her memory. He was a Lucario now. It must have hurt him immensely to evolve into that surrounding such circumstances. She noticed his eyes were closed. Come to think of it; she hadn't seen him open them once since the needle incident. The aura feelers were raised, likely because it allowed him to see.

Arceus, was he blind? Rachael stayed quiet; her throat still was sore when she spoke. Danny gawked for a second at Rachael's missing foot as anyone would. Hannah set the tired Eevee girl on the ground, who stumbled around, muttering incoherently.

"So!" he awkwardly began. "I had to camp out in Michael's room until we had the chance to make a break for it. Not easy holding up an illusion for that long. Anyway, we eventually got out, and here we are! Do you have the… things? Hannah?" He asked seriously. Hannah nodded.

Rachael gave Hannah, who was holding her in her arms, a quizzical look. They were a mile into the forest before she said anything. "Rachael, Michael, that reminds me." Hannah pulled two things out of the bag. One was Michael's favorite coat. He snatched it up, and quickly tied it around him like a cape once more, without a word.

Rachael saw something dangle in front of her. It took her a moment to focus in on it. It was the quick claw she won with Amicus.

"My quick claw… Hannah… Thank you," Rachael expressed in awe. "Where did you find it?"

"Mr. Clark kept it on his desk. I grabbed it when I grabbed his notes and ingredients. That's what we're doing. We're taking his stuff to the village to try and make an antidote," she explained as they walked.

"I don't think humans can pass the virus," Rachael began. "None of our parents turned into pokémon; the only one who did was Bella, and she touched Noctus when she hugged him at Hannah's house."

"I remember that!" Bella began, suddenly much more awake. She must have been an Eevee for several days before they returned since she didn't seem to struggle very much with walking as a quadruped, unlike Danny, who still stumbled around ineptly. Perhaps it was a defect in the virus. Michael not being able to talk, Rachael not being able to use attacks, and Danny having trouble walking. It made sense that an unfinished virus would not be perfect.

Bella rambled on about how she turned into an Eevee. "The day after Hannah left, I felt really funny! Then everything started hurting, and I fell asleep. When I woke up, I had a tail, and my ears were super long. Mommy and Daddy were panicking and took me to a doctor. They didn't know what was causing me to change. Then I fell asleep again and woke up like this!"

They talked for a while. Eventually, Bella got tired of walking and fell asleep, with Michael carrying her while Hannah safely gripped Rachael, who couldn't fly for very long after the abuse her wings endured, and certainly couldn't walk.

By the time night came, they were almost to the village. They pulled sleeping bags out of the backpack and slept. Bella had a blast. She found wild Pecha berries and had been happily munching on them under her sleeping bag. It was a sleepover adventure to her. Rachael was laying in another sleeping bag, hardly taking up any space in it. It was unbelievable how different things had become since the first time they slept in the forest with Noctus guiding them.

Rachael wondered about school. Surely they would let her make up her work she missed. She could help the others with theirs as well. Wait, that meant she wouldn't be a Staravia much longer. The thought struck her as sad. She enjoyed this form, all things considered. She still had an obligation to return to her true form. That's how she felt. Would the others share that opinion? Hannah practically didn't have a choice since a mental barrier was the only thing keeping the transformation from finishing. Danny would take some persuasion. What about Michael, though? If his eyes were not already better, would they ever be?

Rachael fell asleep pondering this.

She couldn't move. Her wings were bound once more. The smell of burnt flesh and blood overloaded her. She shrieked, writhing in pain as she suddenly couldn't breathe. Mr. Clark towered over her, pulling the chord around her neck taut. Her very being felt as though it were fire. She shrieked again. Mr. Clark's eyes were overshadowed, his mouth a thin line. Rachael continued screaming. He then brought his fist down upon her foot. More pain.

"Rachael! Rachael!" Rachael snapped awake, in a cold sweat. She breathed slowly. Hannah had been shaking her awake. Rachael looked around. Everyone, save for Bella, was awake and staring at her, alert. The only one not looking at her was Michael, who was sitting down, biting his lip

"I-I woke you guys up? I'm sorry," Rachael apologized, embarrassed. It was still dark, But Rachael could clearly see the worry in everyone's faces.

"You were screaming pretty loudly. Scared me half to death," Danny admitted. "Was it about what happened… there?"

Rachael nodded reluctantly. "Yes, but don't worry about it. I'm fine now!"

"Hey, Bird-Brain, do you think we're buying that? 'cause news flash, we're not. Tell us what happened. We can't help you if you don't let us," Danny persisted.

"Unusually profound of you," Rachael snapped. It was evident she didn't mean it. "W-well… you saw that cage we were in? We were thrown in there with our a-arms and wings bound. Periodically, we'd be yanked out. Mr. Clark grabbed me by my foot, and always slammed down into it with his fist, or whatever heavy thing was nearby when I was too l-loud."

Michael was now completely turned away, hugging his legs with his head turned skyward.

"He would throw us onto that t-table. To keep us from moving, he wrapped that black cord around our necks. If we were to move too much, it would choke us… it was hard not to move, though. To keep us quiet, he also… he also shocked us with it. He would let it electrocute us for minutes at a time. All the while, we were struggling, hurting our necks. Then, he would inject us with chemicals. They never did much more than cause mild discomfort on their own, but he would jam them in… He drove them into Michael's eyes, too."

Hannah and Danny were mortified by the time she finished. Rachael was shaking, and Michael was now rubbing his neck with his paw. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Sweet Arceus…" Hannah muttered. "That explains… everything."

"You just can't get captured without hurting yourself, can you?" Danny chuckled humorlessly.

"I just want to go back to sleep. It's done now. Goodnight." Rachael retreated to be under the sleeping bag. Danny and Hannah whispered among each other for several minutes before finally going to bed as well. Rachael did feel a certain burden lifting, though those images still flashed in front of her when she closed her eyes. Whatever. She'd be okay.

…

They arrived at the village the next day. The first thing they did was go to the Chief Torterra's tree. As they walked, the group noticed how oddly vacant the village seemed. Torterra was thankfully still in his tree.

"Hello, humans." He greeted politely. "How did your search go?"

"It went well, actually," Rachael answered. "We have a lead, but I request the help of a psychic type to assist in the final step."

Torterra pondered this for a moment. "Yes… the psychic types' mental fortitude has kept them in their right mind for now. More and more pokémon have been losing control lately, except them. Very well. Bisharp!" He called. Seconds later, one of the knight pokémon appeared and bowed, head down.

"No need for formalities. Go get Alakazam, and tell him to come here." The Bisharp nodded and sprinted off. A minute later, there was a flash of light, and an Alakazam appeared.

"Yes?" He asked in a smooth voice.

"The human-turned-Staravia has found some means of creating an antidote but requires your assistance.

The Alakazam gave them an indifferent look, levitating up and down slowly. "Of course. Come, Staravia. I will take you to a place we may work." The Alakazam touched Rachael's forehead, and suddenly, the two of them were in a large treehouse. Rachael looked around. Many windows were letting in natural light through thin leaves used as a window, as though to prevent a draft. The building was well-lit and Spartan, with nothing more than a table smoothly carved with nothing on it. The walls were plain wooden planks, with no decorations. Dragonfire lamps kept the room brilliantly lit.

"This building has not had any rational purpose, though we kept it should we have a use for it. Now, I suppose this antidote has to do with some kind of chemicals?" Rachael fluttered up to the table, awkwardly landing on it with her good leg.

"Uh, yes, but Hannah, the human, has the bag with the things in them." The Alakazam made a sighing sound. He vanished, and an instant later, he reappeared with the backpack.

Rachael made an embarrassed chuckle and shuffled over to the bag that Alakazam had set on the table. She unzipped it with her beak and pulled out several crumpled up notes and the metal case. Using his psychic attack, Alakazam unwrinkled the papers and read them quickly.

"I am unfamiliar with many of these human terms. Would you care to explain them?" Rachael looked over the papers. They were filled with listed orders and quantities of various chemicals. Rachael read each of them out loud, and described their basic purpose. She was familiar with the vast majority of them. The ones she wasn't had some description tagged to them in neat cursive that Alakazam was able to use to get an idea of what they were and did.

Carefully, Rachael opened the large case Hannah brought. It was full of sealed chemicals haphazardly placed in. It was a good thing none of them broke.

"Your human friend seems to have acquired all the chemicals in the formula and then some. They have such odd human names."

"Most of the names come from an old language we used to speak."

"Interesting," Alakazam mused as he levitated the vials, analyzing the labels on them. "These are relatively complex. Do all humans know of these things?"

"Well, most of them have to learn it, but not everybody cares enough to remember them. I just enjoyed learning about things like this. Can't say I expected it to be useful in this way," she joked, carefully setting up some of the measuring equipment Hannah had the foresight to take. Rachael looked back at the notes. "This one is tagged with a date. It was seemingly made the same day we encountered the virus, meaning this is probably to one we should work to fix." She set it on the top of the pile.

"Yes, that would be logical. If you look here, this is likely what was used to make it target the DNA strings and break them down from the inside out. This agent being mixed with it would corrupt the string and cause it to replicate continuously," Alakazam began.

"Probably. This one right here was likely meant to damage everything and cause the body to shut down completely, but the one he put in here mixed in with it and caused it to corrupt DNA to some other form."

The next several hours were spent cycling through the various notes and comparing the effects. The sun was setting by the time they started concocting anything. Danny eventually came by to watch, but got bored and fell asleep. He snored quietly while they worked.

Rachael used berry juice Alakazam got to paint notes of what they added onto a wooden slab. Her sharp talon was easily able to cut through it, leaving purple, inscribed writing on the tablet.

By the time the sun rose, they had a large vial of a viscous black liquid ready to be tested. Several failed concoctions were separated back into their original form using one f Alakazam's incredible abilities. Their previous ones obviously wouldn't work due to a miscalculation one of them caught; this was the one that didn't have any apparent errors in it. Would this be the liquid to turn her human once more? It was designed to be far more reactive, so it wouldn't take several days to complete.

"I'll try the liquid," Rachael finally said once Alakazam held up the drink with his ability. He looked at her, thoughtful.

"Very well. I can use my mind reader attack to sense any changes in your brain during the process. This way we will know if it works and when it loses its effect."

Danny woke up at this. "No! What if it hurts you, Rachael?" he asked in a rush, jumping clumsily to his feet. "Let me take it."

"No, Danny. I'll be okay. I survived worse." Before he could take anything, and before she could second-guess herself, she dipped her beak into the vial Alakazam was levitating at her level, and she drank. It took all of five minutes for her to begin feeling dizzy. She sat down, holding her head.

"Oh man, oh man…" Danny muttered.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she replied, despite feeling faint. Danny ran off in to get Michael and Hannah.

Alakazam looked to her. "I am going to put you to sleep until this is finished. Is that okay with you?"

Rachael nodded, breathing heavily. The next instant, she was in a peaceful, dreamless darkness.

…

…

…

…

…

Rachael groaned and opened her eyes. She was alone. She felt a blanket draped over her. It was relatively warm. She was back in the hut Torterra let them use. She was laying on a makeshift bed of wool. Her throat was still sore, but better than it previously was. She ran her hand over it. The flesh felt raw and sensitive to… the… touch…

She jolted upright. She looked at herself. She was human again! She looked at her hands in awe. They were her hands! They looked different from before in minor ways, such as a lack of blemish in a spot on her arm, yet they were hers. She felt her legs. One of them abruptly dropped off. Her foot was still gone.

Why was that? If her limbs fixed themselves, why didn't her foot? Perhaps the limbs she had as a Staravia shifted into that of a human's, and since she didn't have a foot previously, it couldn't shift back. That made sense.

She looked to her left. Some clothes were folded, ready for her to put on. She flexed her fingers for the first time in what felt like a long one and moved to put them on. When she tried to put on the shirt, however, she felt something on her back. She quickly turned her head. Pinned to her back were two large, gray and black wings.

So she wasn't completely human. She felt the wings in awe. They moved similarly to the ones she had, except they were much larger, curving upward to her neck and reaching to what she guessed would be the back of her knees if she stood up.

She moved them experimentally. The wingspan was enormous, so she guessed they could lift her easily. She looked at the shirt and frowned. Pinning her wings with it would be possible, but she wasn't ready to have her wings bound again. She noticed the backpack nearby. She opened up one of its pockets and pulled out a pocketknife. She cut the back of the shirt, creating two large slits her wings could go through.

She'd have to skip on the bra for now. She pulled on the shirt, realizing it would be difficult to take it off. She shifted her wings around until they, with some effort, slid through the slits. It felt odd, but overall they weren't too restricted in their movement. It was odd. Her wings had functioned as her arms as a Staravia, so suddenly having both wings and arms felt similar to having a second pair of arms.

Once she was finished, she hesitated, unsure of how to stand up without a foot. She noticed a large, sturdy stick that would function as a crutch she hoped Hannah was the one who brought it, or else she'd have to give Danny a stern smack to the head.

Shakily, with the stick to support her, she stood up. The world looked so small when she was at her full height. Slowly, she made her way to the door.

It was midday, meaning she likely slept for a full day. Her hunger proved that. She frowned. How was she supposed to get down? She couldn't climb the vine net. Wait… wings. Duh. Slowly, she opened up her wings. With a leap of faith, she jumped off the balcony and moved the crutch so as not to unbalance herself while spreading out her wings. She nearly tried to flail her arms but remembered at the last second that her arms were not her wings.

To her delight, her wings were strong enough to hold her. With a powerful downward thrust, she gained altitude, again and again until she was safely above the ground. The balancing was very different but adaptable. Once she was a safe distance up, she took to gliding. It was far more difficult due to her taller body making it harder to go at a soft glide while remaining horizontal, but once more, still doable.

She noticed her group of friends, the Alakazam, Bella, and a certain shapeshifting pokémon in the field. Hannah was in the water, kicking her feet nervously with her head and arms on land.

Danny was pacing clumsily, and Michael was sitting like a statue, propped against a tree. Alakazam pointed Rachael out to everyone else. They stared at her in joyful awe, save Michael, who was smiling slightly without his head turned as she circled them. Then she realized.

"Um… guys? I can't land!" she yelled to them. She felt a pang of sadness. It was an odd thing, not having a foot to stand on. She could only hope for some prosthetic limb when this was all over. She could probably get one without much fuss, assuming she could avoid a torrent of the questions she would inevitably get.

She felt the air around her twist and distort. A pink aura surrounded her, slowing her momentum until she was completely stopped midair. Alakazam's eyes were glowing as he gingerly set her on the grass. She used the makeshift crutch to steady herself.

"Rachael!" Danny shouted, running up to her, still a Zorua. He must not have taken the antidote. "How are you? I was so worried about you! Why the heck did you do that?"

Rachael laughed. "Calm down, I'm fine, relatively speaking." Alakazam chimed in.

"After the virus stopped affecting your mind, I created a version that had some psychic energy in it to pass automatically from pokémon to pokémon. Most of them are back in a healthy state of mind now. There is still a decent amount left. Due to its makeup, humans need to directly ingest it, as they possess a unique composition that rejects it otherwise. We wanted to confirm you were in full health before Everyone else here had it. Should you wish, we could try to make a more finished version."

"Well, I'm great," Rachael admitted. "I honestly… I'm okay with this. I think I can live with wings. I mean, sure, there are downsides, but the plus sides too!"

Hannah spoke up. "I think I'll stick with using that. Bella? What about you?" The Eevee girl seemed to think for a minute.

"So I can be part girl part Eevee? I want that!"

Danny nodded as well. "I can live with that." Michael only nodded.

"Hmph, seems you've worked things out." Rachael jumped forgetting Ditto was there, currently in the form of a Growlithe.

"Ack! Verto! You startled me." He looked surprised.

"Who the heck is Verto."

"Oh, it's a nickname I made up for you while I was captured. I guess I never had the chance to tell you. You don't need to keep it…"

"Nah, I'll keep it…" he muttered quietly, deep in thought. He then snapped out of his trance. "Okay! Hurry up and drink the thing then so we can get this to the mountain sooner!" He shouted.

"To where?" Rachael asked, surprised.

"Most of the pokémon are recovering still, and I volunteered us to go back to the mountain. Torterra sent a pokémon ahead to let the queen know, and she assured we would be perfectly safe no matter what zone we're in. I figured we had a few unpaid dues there."

"Oh, okay," Rachael answered lamely, thinking of Amicus. She'd get to see her again!

Danny tipped his head to the treehouse. "Come on! Let's go already! If this is gonna hurt, let's get it over with!"

Alakazam teleported them to the room where they had made the antidote. He held out the vial for everyone to take a drink. Hannah, Danny, and Bella quickly took small drinks, Danny and Bella wrinkling their nose in distaste.

"Ew…" Danny commented. "It tastes like if medicine could go stale…"

"Yuck!" Bella agreed.

Michael held the vial, and reluctantly took a sip, silent. Within minutes, everyone save Hannah showed signs of being dizzy. Alakazam quickly teleported them to their treehouse. Hannah put Bella on the bed and covered her with the blanket while leaving a shaking Danny and Michael out in the cold.

"R-rude…" Danny slurred, stumbling like a newborn Deerling. Hannah rolled her eyes and set out clothes for each of them she had the foresight to pack. How Hannah got some of their clothes was a question for another time. Hannah seemed mostly unaffected. Perhaps that was due to being both human and pokémon as is.

Rachael took the time to step outside and admire the day. The sky was slightly overcast, with slight winds blowing, yet the air smelled clean and fresh, with the slight smell of rain to come. She sighed, and unfurled her wings.

With one leap, she jumped from the balcony once more and took to the sky. She needed to fly for a bit to clear her mind.


	19. Reconciliation

Chapter 19: Reconciliation

Michael woke up after everybody else to complete darkness. All at once, as though flipping a switch, a map with a full three-sixty-degree view unfurled before him in shades of blue, showing his friends to be nowhere in the treehouse. They had all left the tree house, leaving him alone. Michael could tell they were absent thanks to his aura vision. It was as though he had three-sixty degree vision, seeing everything in different shades of blues depending on their life energy. Rocks and dirt were gray. Dead leaves were a pastel blue, while trees and grass were sky blue, with living beings being the most vibrant, with a shimmering core of color that represented their emotions.

Michael spent half an hour after waking up, merely assessing himself. He was mostly human once more, yet not completely, much like Rachael. It was peculiar how that worked. He had the aura feelers. He had Lucario ears. He had the tail, still. A thin fur mask, identical to that of a Lucario's, covered his face. His left hand was even still a paw.

Feelers, fur, paw, tail, and ears. They all configured themselves to match the size of Michael's human self. So why didn't his eyes recover in some way? He silently mulled over this as he shuffled into an outfit laid out for him. His tail was awkwardly pinned to his back and his one hand being a paw made it particularly vexing to coordinate, yet he would adapt.

He noticed something. It was another article of clothing underneath that which he had just put on. He picked it up and felt the soft surface. It was his hoodie. It was the hoodie that caused the mess with his father. He thrust it away with disgust as it splayed out messily on the treehouse floor. He quickly made his way out of the building, leaving his hoodie behind, as though it would erase the memory.

He couldn't see very far past the walls of the house, so he assumed his friends were in the field once more. He jumped off the balcony, landing deftly in the wavering, dim blue grass below as the wind moved the small blades in a beautiful dance Michael had not noticed before. Maybe it was the utter darkness he saw at the same time as his aura sight. As though one eye was opened and the other closed.

He walked, silently admiring the subtle beauty he had taken for granted.

He sensed the vibrant figures of his friends through the foliage before long. Sure enough, they were all in the field. They must have taken a liking to the sunshine there. He didn't care, though.

Danny noticed him first as he sprinted into the clearing. He seemed to be in a similar position to Michael. He still had the Zorua ears, poking above a fop of messy hair. His tail was still there, awkwardly sticking out of his shorts. One of his hands was also still a paw, though Michael couldn't tell if he still had fur.

"Yo, Michael!" he greeted, waving his hand in a "peace" sign. "Took you long enough! How ya feeling?" he continued to shout across the field. Michael quickly closed the gap, and shrugged in response to the question.

"Still can't talk?" he curiously asked.

Michael shrugged again.

"So you can't?"

Michael shook his head.

"So can you or can't you?" Danny persisted, confused.

Michael only shrugged. He hadn't bothered trying. Perhaps it was the prolonged forced silence. He didn't care anymore.

"Um… okay. Uh… anyway, we'll be going back to the mountain. Since Torterra could send a scout ahead this time, we've been guaranteed absolute safety."

"Yeah, I have some unfinished business there," Rachael intervened, running her hand over the wings drooping from her back.

"Same here," Hannah agreed.

"Well," Danny began, "I didn't have some life-changing epiphany while I was there, so I'll probably just play tagalong."

Michael nodded. Looking to the side, he saw, with his aura vision, the backpack sitting on the ground lazily. He quickly reached over, took it, and opened it.

"Um, watcha doiiiing?" Danny awkwardly asked, watching Michael rummage through the packed bag. Michael shook his head and continued searching until he felt what he needed: a small sphere with a vibrant blue center; it was the Pokéball that held his father. His father was a Yamask. That wouldn't work for his dad or Michael. He carefully tucked the ball in his pocket, Danny's mouth forming a small "O" in understanding.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Ditto grumpily pointed out, walking up to meet the group as a very exhausted looking Machoke, carrying a sleeping little girl. It was Bella, with an Eevee tail and ears, with one hand also a paw.

"Hey, Verto. Thanks for watching Bella for me," Hannah thanked tersely. She bit her thumbnail nervously. "I'm not sure what we'll do with her, though. I don't want her coming with us."

Michael raised an eyebrow. Hannah looked startled when she noticed. "Oh, right, you must not have heard. Verto is a nickname for Ditto Rachael made up." Michael nodded. It seemed Rachael had a trend going with nicknames.

Verto looked exhausted, carrying Bella in his arms. "Fine, fine, I'll watch the twerp. Sleep is overrated anyway."

"Thanks, Verto. Means a lot to me," Hannah admitted, running her fingers through her hair. He grumbled in response.

"So, does anyone need to do anything, or are we free to go there now?" Rachael asked. Nobody said anything. "Alright, I guess we're going then."

…

The group split up as soon as they reached the multicolored mountain. Danny followed Hannah; Rachael went in her own direction, and Michael began a straight-shot climb upward. He had a particular queen from whom he needed a favor. Rather than take the path like any sane human being would, he scaled directly up the wall. He was not in the mood for the scenic route.

There was a surprising amount of footholds in the mountain, perhaps for that exact purpose. Michael only jumped from one ledge to another. It wasn't that different from when he leaped from tree branches when he was running back to his house. Maybe it was just natural for Riolu and Lucario to be good at navigation. Or maybe he didn't care anymore.

He couldn't help but notice what he had become. It was odd. At this point, he was some sort of hybrid. That much was sure. How would this affect his social life? He had his close friends, and that was what was important. He'd earn many stares back at his high school, though. How would he even go to school? He couldn't read with his aura vision, and he got the feeling it's be tiring to maintain it all day. Whatever, he'd deal with it when he got this sorted out. He traveled upwards on the mountain for what felt like a few hours, if Michael were to guess. He wasn't sure where the sun was in the sky. The temperature abruptly dropped and snow roughly six inches deep coated the rocks. Michael didn't feel cold, though. The terrain was beginning to level out, with the ledges becoming wider and more accessible. Michael noticed the barrier was also down that had forced them to pass through the Electric Zone.

Soon, Michael reached the top of the mountain. The ice sculptures loomed overhead as Michael walked down the path. Each sculpture emanated the same color Michael remembered seeing the last time they were here, as though the fire hearths inside them had a unique aura property. It was surprisingly beautiful. Maybe the red hearth of the Salamence statue was just a welcome contrast to the blue that was all Michael saw.

Michael stood in the middle of the pathway, marveling at the newfound beauty of the statues. For the first time since before transforming, he felt… serene.

"Why, hello Michael!" greeted Snowfire calmly and happily. Her voice betrayed her emotions, as a dim purple worry coated the green joy. "I'm glad to see you are okay." Michael shrugged. The green shifted to blue. "Yes… Xatu told me of what happened. I'm afraid I have myself to blame for putting you in that situation." Her voice remained calm as she used one of her tails to gesture for Michael to follow her. The two continued down the path.

Michael raised his eyebrow. Snowfire sang a melancholic sigh. "I suppose you have a right to know. The 'prophecy' that we gave you was fabricated. Xatu saw the future and the many disasters. He determined that to be the best choice for the world, yet at your expense. For that, I apologize."

Michael kept his head turned away, as though to prove a point despite his odd three-sixty-degree vision.

Snowfire continued. "He saw futures where every human became a pokémon. He saw futures where the world fell into chaos when pokémon became a near-extinct species. There were futures where people all became hybrids as you currently are. The best chance for everyone followed the path we took, in which we manipulated you as we did. Regardless, it was immoral of us. For that, I offer my most humble apologies."

Michael shrugged. Snowfire sighed once more. "Surely you see how much you have changed, young Michael. Xatu has told me you made no attempt to speak yet. You are far too impassive as well. Please, feel something. Snowfire requested in a pleading voice; her head bowed, and her voice was shaking. "Get upset. Cry. Be happy. Anything. This is not healthy for you, and your friends are worried sick."

Michael shook his head. Snowfire nodded sadly. "I cannot say I blame you for such a choice. The least I can do is offer my assistance. Though I have an idea, I feel I shall formally ask. What brings you here?" The two of them sat down in front of the statue of Snowfire's fallen master, the bright blue hearth flooding Michael's aura vision. It was too bright for him right now, so he stopped using it as he plunged into darkness.

Michael fell backward, sprawling out in the snow, surprisingly unbothered by the direct contact between the snow and his skin. He sat there for several seconds as Snowfire waiting patiently.

He stood up and reached into his pocket.

"I see…" Snowfire muttered as Michael presented the Pokéball. For the first time in weeks, Michael spoke in a raspy, quiet voice.

"This current arrangement isn't working for either of us."

…

…

…

Danny followed nervously behind Hannah. They spent hours passing by zone after zone. Some of the young pokémon regarded them curiously, while hostility met them from the older ones. Nobody confronted or bothered them, though.

Hannah looked the same, despite also drinking from the antidote. Either she was incredibly lucky, or the psychic barrier used to hold off the virus had been very effective. Danny found himself always thumbing the large Zorua ears atop his head. It felt odd. Where his ears used to be, there was nothing. Slightly up from that, though, the fuzzy Zorua ears began. His hair was back to being blonde, though it was tipped red at the ends of it. His left hand was still a paw, and he still had fangs.

Despite this, it didn't bother him as much as it ought to, though he wasn't sure why. After several hours of walking, however, they reached Hannah's destination. The Electric Zone. Danny nervously glanced at her. "Um, are you sure you want to come here? Last I checked this place was where we got stabbed in the back by Eelektrik. Not on my top ten list of fun things that happened, and I'd rather that not happen again."

"We were guaranteed safety, and I need to talk to him."

Danny shook his head. "He tried to kill you; then you gave him another shot. Then he stabs you in the back again, and you want to give him another chance? Doesn't exactly seem wise."

Hannah turned to Danny, with a lopsided smile. "Well, yeah, but he was being pressured. Lolektrik was being harassed by their leader. Of course, he's going to submit!"

"I still don't understand why you want to give him another chance, but whatever, I guess…"

A few minutes later, they were walking through the main room, surprisingly bare of pokémon. The blue, floating rocks dotted the cave, held up by the odd magnetic properties of the actual cave. It was similar to a famous cave in a distant region. Visiting it was on Danny's bucket list previously, but after the fiasco that happened here, the hype kinda died.

The two of them awkwardly stood there, unsure of where to go.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Whelp, here goes nothing. You said his nickname was Lolektrik, right?"

"Yeah?"

"HEY LOLEKTRIK, C'MERE FOR A SEC!" Danny's yell echoed through the cave.

"Danny!" Hannah exclaimed through gritted teeth as her shoulders bounced, as though she couldn't decide whether to be mad or to laugh. She settled it with a strong punch to his shoulder.

"Yeow!" Danny toppled over clumsily, hitting his head on one of the floating rocks, sending it in the same direction. "Ow."

"Hey, watch it!" shouted a familiar voice crankily.

"Lolektrik!" cried Hannah, smiling broadly as he thrust away the rock that nearly took him down. Only he wasn't an Eelektrik anymore. He was a bright green Eelektross now.

"Um… Hi. Why are you smiling, again? Scratch that, why are you here?" he regarded them coldly.

"I came to see you. I mean, I have one more thing to do, but other than that, it was mostly to see you!"

"But… why?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Is being betrayed and attacked by me not enough for you?"

"Nope."

"I- uh…" he was momentarily at a loss. "Why are you treating me kindly? Again?"

Hannah smiled again. "Because everyone deserves another chance."

"Humans are so confusing… Well… Um… the queen told me you were coming. I called in a favor from her. And… I heard about something. The Starly one? Something about her losing a foot?"

Hannah's eyes dulled and she looked down. Danny turned his head.

"What happened anyway?"

"That's… not something we should talk about."

"Fine, not like I care. Bottom line, give her this." Lolektrik pulled out some sort of pouch. "Don't look in it. It's just for her. I know I can't apologize to you, I don't really care if you forgive me, but it's the only way I could think to apologize."

"Lolektrik… Thank you."

"It's fine. Whatever." The next second, he was dashing away. Then he was gone, and the two were left standing there, alone.

"That… went better than I expected," Danny commented. "Where to now?"

"The peak." Hanna was smiling, holding the pouch to her chest. "We'll meet Rachael and Michael there."

"Speaking of them…" Danny started as they began walking. "Thoughts?"

Hannah quieted and dropped her smile.

"I mean, seriously. I can't stop thinking about… everything," Danny continued, rubbing the back of his ear again.

"Rachael is hiding it fairly well, though she tries a bit too hard. Michael, though…" Hannah mumbled.

"He's so quiet now, even more so than usual."

"Yeah. I don't know if they'll be okay. They're not even talking to us. Are they trying to spare our feelings or something?"

Danny shook his head. "Doubt it. They're probably trying to spare their own. Y'know, avoiding it rather than confronting the issue."

Hannah stared at the ground. "What should we do? It's not as if we're ever going to fit in anywhere ever again. Not only are they going to feel like they do now. Add isolation to the mix."

"Heh. We really are a mess, aren't we?" Danny chuckled, "Normality is overrated and also relative."

"That's true, but aside from that, they do need help, but I get the feeling you and me are their best bet."

"Who's to say they can't figure this out on their own?"

"You saw them. What do you think even happened?" Hannah bit her lip.

"Rachael took a beating to her foot, Michael took some needles to the eyes, they were starved and dehydrated, and I think an electrified chord was wrapped around their necks," Danny concisely explained in an upbeat voice that betrayed how he felt.

"Not to mention being alone for so long, and it being Michael's dad," Hannah added, squinting as they reached the exit, momentarily blinded by the light

"Why do you think he took his dad's Pokéball anyway? Wow, that's weird to say."

"I think we're about to find out," Hannah muttered, seeing Michael and Snowfire in the distance.

…

…

…

"Rachael!" declared a small voice joyously. She was back in her old room in the Flying Zone. Amicus was already there when she arrived. The previously bare wall was now covered in drawings of various quality. It was a rainbow of different berry juices painted to make a beautiful mural.

"Hiya, Amicus," she greeted happily, with a broad smile on her face.

"Wow! You really are a human! Well, kinda! Now your part Staravia! Your wings are so big! And you can still fly! That's so awesome!" She was flying around Rachael's head excitedly. Then she stopped, noticing how Rachael was awkwardly leaning against the wall. She gasped in horror. "Oh no! What happened to your foot?"

"Don't worry about that. It doesn't matter."

"Okay!" she complied without hesitation. "I'm so happy to see you! It's been so boring since you left!"

"Well, I can only visit. Then I have to go home," Rachael explained, slowly moving to sit down.

"Can I come? Can I come?"

"The whole Zone would think I kidnapped you."

"No! I told everyone that if I leave it's because I chose to! They think I'm kidding, but don't worry! I always knew you'd come back. Please, let me come with you! You're the coolest person I've ever met!" Amicus was back to flying happily around the room, then frantically began digging through her basket, looking for one of her gems, while her quick claw was still strung around her neck.

"Are you sure? I don't want to take you from your home." Rachael admitted nervously.

"It's fine! This place is too boring!"

"I doubt my home will be much better."

"That's okay because you're not boring, so I'll be okay!" Amicus persisted, jumping up and down now, fluttering.

"Only if you're sure. I'd be happy to have you with me." Rachael smiled, slowly using the wall to push herself up. "First, we need to meet my friends at the peak."

"Oh yeah! I heard about Queen Snowfire having the barrier taken down! Well, let's go! Come on!" Amicus bolted out of the room, not looking back. Rachael smiled, unfurled her wings, and followed the small bird with a smile.

…

…

…

"Very well, Michael." Snowfire agreed pleased Michael had spoken. "If it isn't working, what would you wish for me to do?"

"I'm fully aware that he can't become human again. He'd be arrested. I don't want that. But why a Yamask? It's cruel. Please, do something, anything, to give him a real second chance."

"My transformation curse usually manifests by turning those affected into ghost types. However, I believe I can help. I owe you this much. Let him out."

Michael kept his aura vision inactive, though he heard the sound of Danny's voice behind him, followed by Hannah. They both quieted as they approached.

Michael pressed the button on the center of the sphere. The ball opened as his father was released from his prison.

"What's going on? Where am I?" His dad's voice was tinny and distorted, and fear was clear without emotion-sensing powers. Michael kept his aura vision off. It was silent for several seconds.

"M-Michael?" his dad asked disbelievingly. "What… who?"

"This is what happens when you leave an unfinished virus in your car."

"Y-your eyes…"

"I recall having them repeatedly stabbed by needles," Michael replied coldly.

Fear. Disbelief. Horror. His father said nothing as his emotions overtook him.

"That's not what we're here for, though. Snowfire?" Michael redirected, turning away. He reactivated his aura vision, forcing himself to watch.

"Human. Your son has requested I have mercy on you. I will not remove the curse. However, I will offer an alternative that you are in no position to deny. Touch my tail." She held her head high as she moved her tail for him to touch.

His dad stayed still, paralyzed with fear.

"Dad! Touch the tail already!" Michael snapped.

His father was unsure of how to properly move in his odd form but found out how to lurch against the tail.

A second later, his dad began to change. His body grew taller, his skin solidified and was coated in feathers. His arms elongated and sprouted long brown feathers. More green feathers covered his chest and head, creating a hoodie-like appearance. His nose became a beak and his eyes shrunk. Then he collapsed, now in the form of a Decidueye.

His father struggled up, groaning in pain, still very afraid.

"It is done," Snowfire commented. "You should return him to the Pokéball for the time being."

Before his Dad could react, Michael returned his dad into the sphere. Michael nodded his thanks to Snowfire.

She smiled at him, then turned to greet his friends, who had witnessed the whole scene.

"Now how may I help the rest of, you, brave humans?"


	20. Anew

Chapter 20: Anew

The group was back at the village. They would be leaving soon. Michael left his dad's Pokéball with Verto, who promised to help his father. Michael wasn't in the mood to get along with him currently. He walked to the field in which he had spent so much time. Michael couldn't tell if the moon was out, but the shimmering aura of the grass and trees was pleasant to look up and calmed him.

He quietly sat, deep in thought. His thoughts were interrupted only when Noctus slowly walked in, no emotions showing. He wordlessly sat down next to Michael; his head tipped towards the sky. They sat in a content silence for several minutes.

"My mate will have her kits soon. This is likely my last amount of free time for a long while," Noctus started, his voice soft, while excitement made itself known.

"I'll be going back home, and to school. I don't know how I plan on doing it, but I'll figure something out."

"What of your father?"

"I- I don't know. He caused so much pain, and for such a… I don't know, petty reason."

"Such as?"

"Well, I read his journal. I always knew he became single-minded and adopted tunnel-vision when it came to work, but I don't understand," Michael began slowly. "It's about my mom. He told me she died when I was young due to a disease."

"And she didn't?"

"They were at a boardwalk. I was left with a babysitter. He found her shoes on the deck, but not her. He ran to the shore to see a Feraligatr holding her in his jaws. She was bleeding, and dad thought the Feraligatr attacked her, knocked her into the water, and killed her. But I don't know if that's the full story! Maybe it was an accident, and the pokémon was trying to save her! Maybe it was even… suicide. I don't know, and I hate it! My dad thinks pokémon are the cancer of the earth thanks to that one experience! It's so petty!" Michael clenched the grass in his fist, and his eyes squeezed shut while tears streamed down his face. He broke into a fit of coughing from the overuse of his tired and damaged voice.

"Why does it matter?" Noctus asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Everybody reacts to something differently. I don't react as emotionally as most. You look at things logically. Danny prefers to deflect with humor. Your father reacts emotionally. Sure, his judgment is clouded, and he made a mistake. Why does it matter, though? What's done is done."

"I just wish I could understand! I don't know how to forgive him like this! I want to! I want to make up with him! I wish I could see why he feels like he does so that I can make up with him and things can return to how they were!" Michael once more began to cough, thanks to his damaged vocal chords. When he was finished coughing, Noctus spoke.

"It won't. It can't," he bluntly stated.

"But why? Why can't it!" Michael shouted to the sky angrily.

"You are still human. He is now pokémon. You will still be connected, but not as before. You will return home. He will live here. He trapped you and tormented you. He knows this. He is going to spend the rest of his life trying to make up for this."

"I'm not a human."

"Just because you're half pokémon doesn't mean you're not still human."

"But it's true! I'm not a human now! Everything is falling apart! I can't see; I'm half Pokémon, and I don't know what to do!"

"Everything will be okay. It won't be easy, but you'll adjust," Noctus continued in his calm, flat voice.

"How do you know that?" Michael demanded after another fit of coughs.

"You made it this far. Now stop talking. You'll strain your voice."

"Still, it's terrifying. Because of Bella, we're now pretty general news. Everyone will know, and I'll never be normal again. It's hard," Michael quieted, lying back on the grass.

"If it were easy, it wouldn't be worthwhile."

"Heh, I guess that's true. Thanks, Noctus."

"Anything for a friend."

...

Hannah and Bella were finally back home. Michael went with Danny to retrieve his items in preparation to move in with him for the time being since his dad was still "missing." Her little siblings had tried to maintain the garden in the front, but that mostly involved many well-watered weeds. Hannah would pull them out later.

Her parents were less than thrilled to still have Bella being part Eevee, and it only took a few hours for the news reporters to find their way to their home, but Hannah was glad to be home. After finally chasing the reporters off, Bella retreated to the backyard to play with her siblings once more.

Hannah took the time to sneak out and drive to Rachael's house. She needed to deliver a gift. Amidst all the chaos, she hadn't had the chance to deliver it to her privately. Hannah gave the formula for both viruses to Snowfire for safe keeping, in case they needed it again, but they left right after that. In the village, Rachael was flying with Amicus ahead of them to return home quicker. Now would be the best time to deliver Lolektrik's gift.

The drive was brief and peaceful. Her house was the same as it was the last time Hannah was here, except there were no cars in the driveway. The door was unlocked thanks to having earlier told Rachael she was coming. Hannah let herself in and made her way to Rachael's room.

"Wow! These homes are so big and comfy!" Hannah heard Amicus' hyperactive voice echo through the house, coming from Rachael's open door.

"Hey, Rachael. How have you been doing?" Hannah greeted from the doorway. The room was very tidy: it was no different from before they left for the village, minus a small pokémon bed on the window sill that Amicus was sitting in contently.

"Hey!" Rachael returned the greeting, her voice pleased but still hoarse. "What brings you here, anyway?"

"Well, when I went to the Electric Zone, I met Lolektrik, and he told me he called in some favors to get this for you." Hannah gave her the heavy pouch. Warily, she accepted it. She untied the string holding it closed, and pulled out a metal sphere.

Hannah watched her hold the orb with a puzzled expression. It was silver and perfectly smooth.

"It's warm," Rachael muttered. "W-whoa!" The orb began to vibrate intensely as a purple glow consumed it.

"Like I said, not boring!" Amicus commented, watching the sphere in fascination.

"Ow! Hot!" Rachael recoiled, letting go of the item. Surprisingly, it stayed in the air. Rachael gave a Hannah a raised eyebrow and a wry grin. "Lolektrik has weird taste in gifts!"

Then the orb melted into a silver glob, as though it were made of dough. It then lurched towards Rachael's leg. Rachael gasped in pain as the glob attached itself to her leg where her foot once was. She continued to gasp, grabbing her bed in an attempt to avoid screaming. Hannah watched in both fear and fascination as it molded and shifted itself.

Suddenly, Rachael began to breathe normally, as she slowly lifted her head and stared at the wall in a stunned silence. Slowly she turned around, sat properly on her bed, and looked down her leg. The metal glob was now shaped like the Staravia talons, melded to her leg smoothly. "Huh..." Rachael murmured. "Interesting way to make a prosthetic limb."

"Can you move it?" Hannah asked, excited. Sure enough, it moved in the same manner as her foot did as a Staravia.

"Not exactly subtle, but I'll take it!" Rachael proclaimed with a laugh. Amicus began giggling like a small child being tickled.

"I'm glad you're doing better; I was worried sick," Hannah admitted. Rachael stopped laughing and glanced down.

"Hey, Amicus, why don't you go flying for a bit? I need to have a private talk with Hannah," she explained in an attempt to keep what happened away from the child.

"Aw… Okay…" Amicus barreled out the open window and flew away, spinning midair while enjoying the beautiful weather.

"Rachael…"

"I'm doing better," she admitted, lying back on the bed. "It just hurts to think about. I still have nightmares, and confined spaces like cars make me feel like I'm being suffocated."

"I can imagine…" Hannah added, sitting down next to her. "Please. I'm begging you. Just… talk to me about it," Hannah pleaded.

"I already told you what happened there."

"Yeah, but not how you felt. Not how you feel. Please, just let me help you."

"I will, just not yet. I'm not ready to talk about it. I need some time just to heal on my own. But I will."

Hannah nodded. "That's all I ask."

Outside the window, neither were aware of the Fletchling listening in on their conversation.

…

"Feel free to stay here for as long as you need! As far as I'm concerned, this is your home!" Danny's mom assured Michael, who was standing in the living room with two suitcases and a backpack.

"Thank you, ma'am," he quietly murmured.

"Danny, go show Michael to his room, please. I'll start dinner."

"'Kay, Mom!" Danny took one of Michael's suitcase and heaved it up the stairs. "So!" Danny began between heavy breaths. "Mom took the 'hybrid' thing well!"

Michael nodded in agreement. She had mostly been happy just to see them. She was incredibly understanding when Danny requested for Michael to be allowed to move in. When they reached the top of the staircase, Danny was panting, but Michael looked unfazed despite carrying twice the load.

"It's good your dad paid off the house beforehand. The money from his life insurance can keep the power going too."

Michael nodded again, and followed Danny to a room down the carpeted hallway, dragging his luggage behind him. The duo passed through the open door. The guest room was freshly vacuumed, and the bed was newly made. The covered were a pale brown with a chocolate-colored frame. Several empty shelves were nailed to the walls. There was a nightstand with a digital clock and a lamp, along with a dresser and television. The walls were white and an open window let in a cool breeze.

"Why don't you talk much anymore?" Danny asked slowly, propping the suitcase up against the wall. Michael collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Michael gestured to his throat and quietly whispered his response.

"My throat hurts, along with the previous issues with speaking. It's difficult for me to do," Michael admitted, gingerly rubbing his throat, which still bore an angry red scar.

"That's not the only reason," Danny demanded, leaning back against the wall.

"Maybe not," Michael didn't elaborate. Danny sighed.

"Are you okay?" Michael gave a thumbs up and forced a smile. Danny laughed. "Come on; my mom is making Macaroni and Cheese. I'm starving."

"Same."

…

The next day, the group returned to school. Danny and Michael traveled together whenever possible, while Rachael tried to be inconspicuous when walking in between classes. Hannah socialized with the other students as though nothing had changed.

Michael usually kept a blank expression, walking straight ahead without acknowledging anybody staring at him. He didn't always use his aura vision, though, and this caused him to be clumsy at times. Most of their peers didn't know about his blindness, so this had him met with animosity. It was just tiring and overwhelming to use aura vision to see so many people for so long.

Michael still couldn't read, so Danny helped him with most of his assignments, despite not being the best worker. Michael's penmanship was at an all-time low, due to needed to write with his left hand thanks to his right now being a paw, and not being able to see what he was writing. Sometimes he could see the tiny, lifeless marks he made, but his ability was nowhere near strong enough yet. Michael rarely spoke to anyone except Danny and their friends, even when addressed by a teacher.

Danny soaked up the attention like a sponge. One of his favorite things to do was to use his illusion abilities to abruptly turn invisible, only to appear a second later in front of someone, giving them a good scare. He would wave like a celebrity at someone who stared or gaped at them. It was funny.

Rachael was another story altogether. She kept her wings pinned by her shirt and backpack, and usually tried to keep the attention off her odd metal talon. It was fairly common knowledge that something had happened to her as well, but she refused to show anyone, instead opting to ignore anyone else altogether between her classes. When school ended, she was often cornered by many of the students constantly asking her questions. She would always flee.

The weekend after their first week back at school, they all met up at Danny's house to work on their missed assignments.

"Arceus, I don't know how we're supposed to do this all!" Danny whined, alternating between answering questions on his paper and Michael's, who sat back, staring at an alphabet book made for small children. The letters were large and bright.

"We had it coming, we'll get it finished," Rachael responded with a laugh. A small stack of papers was already forming beside her as she finished each assignment.

"How is that book working for you, Michael?" Hannah asked suddenly, looking up from her paper.

"I've read better. Not a very compelling narrative." Hannah laughed.

"Need some help?"

Michael put his hand to his eyes. "Maybe."

"No need to be ashamed. Here, let me see the book." Michael passed the small book to Hannah. "Wow, none of these letters are in order. I'll never understand what little kids see in books like this. You could always skip to the end when the letters have rearranged themselves."

Michael grinned wryly. "Then I'm not really reading, am I?"

"Heh, I guess not. Let's see… what's this letter?" Hannah flipped to a page in the book and held it up to Michael, who rubbed his temples in concentration.

"Um… is it an 'M?'" he asked, his eyebrows knit together.

"Close, it's an 'N,'" Hannah admitted, looking at the book. "How do you see these, anyway?"

"Feel the material. The ink is a little different from the paper, which is more organic, relatively speaking. So the ink is a bit grayer than the paper, but it's very hard to tell for sure right now." Suddenly, Michael broke into a coughing fit. The others watched him, worried. He noticed them staring at him after he was finished. "Don't worry, I'm fine, just overdoing it."

"Well, what's this letter?" Hannah held another page of the book up to Michael. He rubbed his temples again.

"I think it's a 'T' this time," he guessed slowly.

"Yeah! You're getting it!" She happily commented. Rachael smiled and returned to working on her paper while Michael and Hannah continued the process of reading the letters.

"What about this one?" Hannah asked after several other answers from Michael, some more accurate than others.

"'V?"

"Nope."

"Um… is it a 'U?'"

"Close."

"I don't know! I feel like a preschooler here… what is it?" Michael whined as he leaned backward, smothering a cough.

"I don't think they teach aura vision reading skills in preschool," Danny commented, trying not to laugh.

"Hey! No comments from the peanut gallery! Fine then! Pokémon preschool!"

"No comments from the what?" Rachael asked, not looking up from her papers.

"What letter was it?" Michael asked without answering Rachael's question.

"It was a 'W.' I can see why you confused that one," Hannah comforted, relieved that Michael was finally talking more. "I'm just impressed you're doing so well after such a short time."

"Whatever, don't patronize me. Just give me the next letter." Michael retorted with a laugh, being sure to throw a pillow at her face for good measure.

"Hey, it's a long weekend two weeks from now. We should go to the village then," Rachael suggested after several more minutes of practice and work.

"Sure, why not?" Danny agreed, with his fist to his cheek in boredom. "Beats doing school work all weekend."

Michael gave a thumbs up, still focused on trying to read the large letters. Hannah just nodded.

…

When they arrived, Hannah and Rachael took Bella to play with Amicus and some of the children pokémon in the field. Danny spent his time hanging out and practicing illusions with Verto.

Michael went and spoke with his father. It was a quiet, awkward conversation. There was a lot of apologizing. There was no mention of Michael's mother. It was a brief conversation. Neither of them spoke of the lab.

Michael hoped that one day they would be able to talk about these things together, but until then, being able to speak to him at all was progress. Michael wasn't ready to forgive him yet, but he may someday. Someday, Michael and his father would one day be a family again.

Until then, a conversation was progress.


End file.
